Club Descent III
by Aeon65
Summary: A discovery in a quarry lake brings back some old memories and puts Max in a tight spot. This is the third installment of Club Descent. Read the others before this one. Slash, adult themes.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I know I've said that this is the end of the series and it is. However, that being said, I opened the door in this last chapter for some side stories to be written. I left a couple of things unfinished and unsaid on purpose. So don't complain to me after you've read it all about "why didn't you do this" or "why did you do that". It just means I'll touch on it later in some side stories. But the main arc is complete.

If you need to catch up on the first two parts of this story, they are available at my website.

Title: Club Descent: Accused (1/11)

Author: Aeon Cole

Beta: sharpiesgal/Dino

Rating: FRAO

Warning: Slash

Fandom: CSI: Miami

Pairing: Horatio/Speed

Spoilers: None

Challenge: 50 Dark Fics

Prompt: #34 Broken

Word Count: 2200

Summary: A discovery in a quarry lake brings back some old memories and puts Max in a tight spot.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Monday, July 12, 2004

Darkness. That was his world now. He hadn't seen the light of day in… well he didn't have any idea anymore how long it had been. His tormentor had kept him in complete and total darkness. In the beginning he'd wondered how he'd managed it, not even one pinprick of light in the room. At least he had assumed it was a room. He could feel a floor beneath him, definitely not stone or dirt. In the beginning he'd tried to figure out his surroundings but he was quickly and painfully prevented from exploring any further and soon the darkness had consumed him.

Light was painful to him now. He had so adapted himself to the darkness that he was certain his eyes no longer worked. The only light he was granted was when his captor entered or left the room. But that light blinded him, a bright white flash that caused a searing pain at the back of his skull, even when he'd learned to keep his eyes closed. Afterward he would see spots until the darkness returned. The brief flashes of light never once revealed the face of his captor only a vague outline.

He had realized in the beginning that his captor was wearing some type of night vision goggles, as he seemed to be able to navigate the darkened room and carry out his torturous acts without faltering. He had no idea who this man was but to be able to overpower him was no small feet so he had believed the man to be military trained, probably Marines. But after so long in captivity, his strength was completely sapped and whatever modicum of sanity he possessed when he'd stormed out of the warehouse that morning so long ago was gone.

His body had been ravaged. He'd been given only enough food and water to keep him alive. He'd been beaten, whipped, raped, and kept naked in total darkness. The man he used to be, he was no longer. Simon Cole was dead. All that remained was a shell whose heart still beat, whose body still functioned to an extent, but whose mind was completely gone.

He heard a noise and immediately plastered his hands over his eyes but it did little good. The bright light streamed into the room and Simon screamed as the sharp pain bit into his eyes. He heard a chuckle as his captor walked toward him. The pain didn't fade and he couldn't figure why. The darkness always returned quickly, but this time his captor had left the door open and Simon curled into himself trying desperately to get away from the light. He felt a boot land on his side and press down crushing his ribcage.

"It's time to end this," his captor said.

This was the first time the man had spoken to him and somewhere in the back of what was left of Simon's shattered mind he thought he recognized the voice. But his recognition came too late. As the weight on his ribcage grew heavier and heavier he heard and felt bones snap. He screamed in pain just before losing consciousness for the last time.

ooo

Sunday, October 10, 2004 (Three months later)

Tim awoke with a start as a loud clap of thunder sounded outside. He could hear the rain beating down on the roof of the house and feel the ache in his leg. The bone had healed but he was told that it would never be a hundred percent again. The break had been too bad and he would probably always have a barometer in his leg. And true to the doctor's predictions, every time it rained he could feel his leg throb.

He glanced over at the clock and saw that it was still early. He slipped out of bed and limped into the bathroom to down some aspirin then returned to bed and snuggled in next to Horatio. The redhead's eyes fluttered open.

"You ok?" he asked groggily.

"Yeah," Tim replied. "Leg hurts. I just took some aspirin." He snuggled in closer. "Go back to sleep. It's still early."

Horatio pulled him in closer and kissed his temple. Tim rested his head on his lover's shoulder and tried to go back to sleep. After a short while he heard Horatio snoring lightly again. He lay there for a few minutes longer before giving up on getting back to sleep. He carefully removed Horatio's arm from around his waist and slipped out of bed.

He hesitated for a moment at the top of the stairs glancing around the living room before heading down. There were still a lot of things he was working out with his psychiatrist since he'd been rescued six months earlier. One of those things was a sometimes-overwhelming fear of being alone in the house. He always kept the security system turned on and he'd made Horatio put up a set of vertical blinds over the sliding glass doors in the kitchen. He still loved being outside but he preferred to have Horatio or Max with him.

He made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen. He could see through the blinds that the sun wasn't up yet but it would be soon and the rain had stopped. He started a pot of coffee then sat down at the kitchen table to wait for it to brew. He stared at the blinds covering the glass doors. He wanted to go outside and watch the sunrise. He remembered how much he used to love to do that. But each time he thought about going out onto the beach alone, fear flooded over him.

Horatio inhaled deeply as he rolled over in bed. The smell of coffee filled his senses. He instinctively reached for Tim but was met by an empty space on the bed. He sat up and looked around. Once his sleep filled mind had cleared he realized that Tim must have gone downstairs to make coffee. It was still early but he decided to get up and join him.

Tim heard footsteps descending the stairs. He turned and smiled as Horatio walked into the kitchen. The redhead leaned down and gave him a kiss.

"You're up early," he said.

"I couldn't get back to sleep," Tim replied with a shrug.

Horatio stood at the counter. "You want some coffee? It's done."

"Yeah, thanks," Tim said.

Horatio poured two cups and place one on the table. "You mind if I open the blinds?" he asked. Tim shook his head. "It looks like the rain stopped. Feel like sitting out on the deck?"

There was a time when Horatio wouldn't have had to ask him that. He would have simply found him out there when he came downstairs. It still pained him that the one thing Tim used to enjoy more than almost anything else now caused him so much anxiety. But he also knew that it would take time for Tim to get past his fears, especially with Simon still out there. At least he knew his lover could still enjoy the outside as long as he wasn't alone. He opened the door and held out his hand.

"Come on. The sun's coming up."

Tim took his hand and allowed Horatio to lead him outside and over to one of the lounge chairs. He pulled the cover off the chair and sat down pulling Tim with him to sit between his legs. Tim rested his back against Horatio's chest and together they watched the sunrise.

ooo

Eric Delko and Ryan Wolfe stood in front of the car that had just been dredged up by the divers. The body in the trunk was in pretty bad shape. Eric glanced over at the newer CSI and noticed he looked a bit green. He smirked.

"Your first floater?" he asked.

Wolfe nodded and wrinkled his nose. "Yeah," he choked out.

Eric snickered. "Well, if you're gonna puke, go over there," he said pointing away from the body. "Don't want to contaminate the scene."

Ryan glared at him for a moment. "I'm fine," he said. He was getting a little tired of always being teased about being the new guy. He might be a new CSI but he'd been a patrol officer for years. He wasn't green. "Come on, let's get to work," he said trying to sound confident.

"Don't touch the body," Eric warned him.

Ryan pursed his lips. "Yeah, Delko, I know not to touch the body 'till the coroner gets here. I wish you guys would stop treating me like I don't know what I'm doing."

Eric sighed. "That's not what I meant. He's been under water for what looks like a long time. The body is full of bacteria and bloated. One wrong move and…"

"Pop," Alexx chimed in from behind the two men.

"Ugh. You mean he could just…"

"Blow like an over filled balloon. Yeah," Eric said.

"Great, so, what do we do?" Ryan asked.

"You stand back," Alexx said as she approached the body with a large needle. "While I try to let the air out slowly."

Both men stood back while Alexx drained the fluid and air from the body. Ryan glanced around the area then asked, "Where's Horatio?"

"He's got a few days off," Eric answered.

"Must be nice," Ryan said.

"Perks of being the boss," Eric replied.

He didn't say anything about his boss spending a couple of days with Tim because it was their one year anniversary and Tim had taken off and didn't like to be home alone, or for that matter, why he didn't like to be home alone. Ryan was too new to the team and other than the light gossip that still floated around the precinct at times, Eric didn't know just how much Ryan actually knew about Horatio and Tim.

ooo

Horatio placed his empty coffee cup down on the deck and wrapped his arms around Tim. The sun had come up and the clouds had cleared out. He leaned in and nibbled at Tim's ear.

"So what do you feel like doing today?" he asked between nibbles.

Tim leaned back and tilted his head giving Horatio better access. "This is good," he muttered. "Just sit here all day."

Horatio chuckled into his neck and nipped at his ear one last time. "I have an idea. Seeing as how it's almost our first anniversary, how about you take me for a ride on your bike. We could go back to the spot we went a year ago, have a picnic. It looks like it's going to be a nice day."

Tim turned and curled into Horatio's embrace. "You want to recreate a moment?" he asked as he nuzzled Horatio's neck.

"Something like that," Horatio breathed.

Tim smirked and ran his tongue up Horatio's neck. "I can think of a couple of moments I'd like to recreate."

He leaned up and captured Horatio's mouth for a slow kiss. It was times like these when Tim could forget about everything and just let himself enjoy the moment. He ran his tongue over every surface of the redhead's mouth pulling soft moans from him. When they finally pulled apart they were both breathless. They rested their foreheads together for a moment while they got their breath back.

Horatio cleared his throat then said, "How about it? Wanna take me for a ride?"

Tim chuckled. "We don't need the bike for that," he said with a slight leer.

Horatio grinned. "Come on. It'll be fun. It's not often that we actually get to take time off, without something being wrong."

"You know I can't say no to you," Tim said as he stood up and held out his hand. He pulled Horatio to his feet and into his arms. "I haven't been back there since that afternoon a year ago."

"I know. That's why I thought it might be fun to do again."

ooo

Ryan stood in front of the open trunk looking in on the body and said, "He's naked." Eric glanced at him. "Ok, I suppose I'm just wondering why he's naked," he added at Delko's look.

"Well I guess that's just part of the mystery we have to solve," Eric said. "I'm going to go check out the front of the car, now that we know that this guy's not going to blow."

Ryan grimaced at Eric's remark as Eric opened the front driver's side door. There wasn't much to see on the surface of things so he walked around to the other side of the car and opened the glove box. After the water drained he pulled out a stack of papers and placed them on the roof of the car. He flipped through them carefully finding the car's registration and insurance information and a couple of fast food menus. At the bottom of the pile of papers he found something he didn't expect. He held it up and examined it carefully.

Ryan walked over to him. "What did you find?" he asked. Eric held up a small card. Ryan looked at it carefully. "Club Descent? Is that supposed to mean something?"

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Club Descent: Accused (2/11)

Author: Aeon Cole

Beta: sharpiesgal/Dino

Rating: FRAO

Warning: Slash

Fandom: CSI: Miami

Pairing: Horatio/Speed

Spoilers: None

Challenge: 50 Dark Fics

Prompt: #32 Past

Word Count: 2010

Summary: A discovery in a quarry lake brings back some old memories and puts Max in a tight spot.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Ryan stared at the card in Eric's hand. He thought he knew all of the clubs in the city but the name was not familiar to him. "I've never heard of that club. Do you think it has something to do with this case?"

Eric glanced at him. "I hope not but we'll have to check it out." He paused for a moment then added, "Once we have more information." _There was no need to involve Max if this was just a coincidence,_ he thought.

Ryan wondered what he meant by 'I hope not' but he didn't ask. "What about the rest of the paperwork?" Ryan asked.

"Too much water damage. I can't make out the name or address. We can run the plates and the VIN when we get back. The car's probably stolen, otherwise my guess is the plates, at least, would be gone."

"Or we have a very stupid perp," Ryan added.

"That's always a possibility. And it would make our jobs so much easier," Eric said with a chuckle.

They stepped back to the trunk where Alexx was about to remove the body. "Be careful," she said to the haulers. "There isn't much holdin' this boy together."

The haulers carefully lifted the body out of the trunk and laid it out on the body bag that sat on the gurney. Eric gave their victim a quick once over and noticed a marking on his upper right arm. He pointed it out to Alexx.

"Hey, Alexx. You think this could be a tattoo?" he asked.

Alexx leaned in close and examined the area. "Maybe. I'll have to see just what shape this boy's in when I get him back for the post to see if I can raise it."

While Alexx wheeled the body off to the coroner's van, Eric and Ryan started examining the trunk. The body had been wrapped in some type of black cloth. After photographing the trunk's contents, Eric reached in and pulled out the cloth. It was much heavier than he'd expected. He laid it out on a tarp on the ground.

"That's weird," Eric muttered.

"What?"

"It seems to be some sort of thick, black wool."

Ryan crouched down and examined the fabric. "You know, I think I've seen this stuff before." He looked up at Eric. "My grandparents had some fabric like this. It's left over from World War II. They made blackout curtains from it."

Eric wrinkled his brow. "I wonder where you'd get it now-a-days?"

"You wouldn't. They don't make it anymore. There are more effective materials that are made now that are cheaper and easier to deal with," Ryan answered. "The only way to get this now is from someone who collects war memorabilia, like I do, or you can still buy it at some thrift shops or places that specialize in old war stuff."

"You have some of this stuff?" Eric asked.

Ryan nodded. "When my grandfather died he left me all his World War II stuff. I have crates of it in my apartment. I know I have a few of these black out curtains in amongst it all."

"Any chance I can see it? This stuff is soaked through and stretched out. I'd like to see some of the original for comparison."

"Sure, no problem," Ryan said.

ooo

"So, how's the new guy working out?" Tim asked as they made lunch and packed the cooler.

"Mr. Wolfe? Ok, I guess. He hasn't been around long enough for me to really tell yet," Horatio replied. "But thanks for suggesting him. He's having a little trouble fitting in but I'm sure he'll settle eventually."

"He was a good student, a little awkward socially, but he's smart. Just give him some time," Tim said.

Horatio smiled. "No more talk about work. You ready?"

"Yeah, just give me a minute," he said.

Horatio waited patiently. Tim had developed a routine to make sure the house was locked up before he went anywhere. He checked the back doors then all of the first floor windows. He walked back into the living room and saw Horatio waiting for him. He paused for a moment and looked sheepish.

"It's silly isn't it?" he asked, a bit embarrassed.

Horatio shook his head. "No it's not. Anything that makes you feel safer is not silly."

Tim moved in and gave him a kiss. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Now, let's get out of here."

As they walked out the front door a noise at the side of the house caught their attention. There was a rustling in the bushes and it caused Tim to freeze up. Horatio put a hand on his shoulder and moved him back toward the door. As he leaned over the railing to see what was making the noise, a cat darted out of the bush and into the neighbor's yard. Horatio closed his eyes and let out a breath. He turned back to Tim.

"Just the neighbor's cat," he said. But Tim was still frozen in place. Horatio stood in front of him and placed his hands on Tim's shoulders. "It's ok. You can relax. Just take a deep breath." He reached over and took the cooler as Tim began to relax. When he saw Tim's eyes focus again he asked, "Ok?"

"Let's get the fuck outa here," Tim mumbled.

Horatio sighed and followed him to the garage.

ooo

Ryan walked into the lab's garage and found Eric leaning over the trunk of the car they had found in the lake. "I thought you were going to the post?" he asked.

"Alexx will page me when she's ready. She has two other's before us." Seeing the look on the other man's face he added, "You have to be patient, Wolfe. The guy's probably been in this trunk for a couple of months at least based on decomp. A few more hours isn't going to make a big difference."

"Well, shouldn't we at least check out this club? Maybe we can find some witnesses or something."

"In time. We don't want to go off half-cocked. Like it or not, digging around in a smelly, wet, nasty car trunk is as much a part of this job as going out and interviewing witnesses. Now suit up and gimme a hand."

ooo

Tim pulled the bike into the park and up to the old tree where they'd had their first picnic a year ago. Horatio hopped off the bike and looked around. Even after a year the place looked the same, a small clearing surrounded by woods with a path leading to the road. He turned to Tim.

"It's still as beautiful as ever," he said.

Tim smiled and nodded but didn't say anything. He pulled a blanket out from one of the saddlebags and spread it under the tree. They had come with a more elaborate lunch this time including a small bottle of wine. Horatio pulled two glasses from the cooler and poured the wine.

Tim hesitated before taking the glass. "Just one. I still have to get us home in one piece," he said.

Horatio held his glass up. "To one year together, and many more to follow," he said.

"Many more uneventful, completely boring years to follow," Tim added.

Horatio chuckled. "Amen to that," he said as they clinked their glasses.

Tim took a sip of his wine then placed the glass aside on the ground. He stretched out on his back resting his head on Horatio's leg. He closed his eyes as a slight breeze blew by. Horatio could tell he was comfortable here. This wasn't a place where he perceived any threats. He set his glass on the ground and watched his lover as he lazily ran his fingers over his chest. Tim sighed.

They remained like that for a while enjoying the peace and quiet, the birds chirping, and just being with each other. Tim opened his eyes and stared up at Horatio. The redhead seemed to have a far a way look in his eyes. Tim reached up and brushed Horatio's cheek.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked.

Horatio shrugged. "Just thinking," he said.

"About what?" Tim asked.

He shrugged. "I don't know. I've just been thinking lately that, maybe, it's time to move."

Tim sat up facing Horatio. "Move? But you've had that house for ten years."

"That's exactly my point. It's my house. I want to live in our house. I want a place that is as much yours as mine," Horatio said.

Tim cast his eyes downward for a moment. "And a place that won't be a constant reminder of what happened to me," he said quietly. "I don't want you to give up your house because of me, Horatio."

Horatio reached over and cupped his cheek. "I won't deny that that's part of it. I don't like seeing you so upset and anxious all of the time. But it's just a house. I have no particular attachment to it. Besides, it's kind of small. I never expected that I would find someone to share it with." He could see that Tim wasn't so convinced. "Just think about it. We could have some fun house hunting."

Despite himself, Tim smiled. "A bigger kitchen might be nice," he said.

"And we can stay near the beach if you like," Horatio added.

Tim smiled and leaned in close to Horatio. He whispered, "I love you," against the redhead's lips.

"Love you, too," Horatio said and closed the distance.

Before he realized what was happening Horatio was on his back on the blanket with Tim lying on top of him. "Just how secluded is this place?" Horatio asked.

Tim grinned. "I've never seen another soul here in five years," he replied.

Horatio matched his smirk and in one swift move flipped them over so he was lying on top. He descended on Tim's mouth then worked his way down his neck and over to his ear. Tim moaned as Horatio nibbled at his earlobe.

"Did you bring supplies?" Tim breathed.

"Always prepared," Horatio murmured back then he reached over to the bag he'd dropped on the ground near the blanket and fished around. When he pulled his hand out he had a bottle of lube and a condom packet.

Tim smiled up at him. "Boy Scout?"

Horatio just laughed. He sat back on Tim's legs and began unbuttoning his shirt. He pulled it off then reached for the hem of Tim's t-shirt. The rest of their clothes followed in quick order. He leaned down and ran his tongue over one of Tim's nipples then began working his way down his chest and abdomen kissing and nipping at his heated skin.

He stopped momentarily when he reached his lover's hard, leaking cock then he leaned in and ran his tongue around the tip. Tim moaned loudly and arched his hips. He knew he was right on the edge so he reached down and pulled at Horatio's shoulders.

"Want you… with me," he choked out.

Horatio quickly readied himself then raised Tim's legs. "Ready?" he asked.

"Please," Tim begged.

It had taken several months after Tim was rescued for Horatio to become comfortable topping him again. He was always afraid he was going to hurt him. Slowly he sunk himself into Tim's body until he was completely buried. Tim threw his head back and reveled in the sensation before pushing his hips up urging Horatio to move.

He slowly pulled out then slipped back in as the warm breeze blew over their naked bodies. It didn't take long before they were both seeing stars. Tim fell first calling out Horatio's name. Horatio followed after a couple more thrusts. They lay together for a few minutes as they caught their breath and got their bodies back under control.

"This is how things should be," Tim said.

Horatio smiled. "Let's hope for peace and quiet for a while. I think we could both use it."

"And naked picnics in the park," Tim joked.

Horatio laughed out loud. "Definitely," he agreed.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Club Descent: Accused (3/11)

Author: Aeon Cole

Beta: sharpiesgal/Dino

Rating: FRAO

Warning: Slash

Fandom: CSI: Miami

Pairing: Horatio/Speed

Spoilers: None

Challenge: 50 Dark Fics

Prompt: #74 Darkness

Word Count: 2020

Summary: A discovery in a quarry lake brings back some old memories and puts Max in a tight spot.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Eric walked into the autopsy room after receiving a page from Alexx. "What have you got for me, Alexx?" he asked.

"I just got started, Eric. But I thought you should see this."

She held up an x-ray for him to look at. He stared at it for a moment then took it from her and clipped it into the light box. He looked back at Alexx.

"Is this post mortem?" he asked.

Alexx shook her head. "There's evidence of clotting around the breaks but no healing. It must have occurred just before he died."

Eric looked at her. "Every one of his ribs is broken. It looks like his chest was crushed."

"There's more," Alexx said. She pulled out two more x-rays. "His left foot was broken and never healed properly and there's a fracture of his right ulna that was in the process of healing." Eric took a close look at the x-rays. "Also, it's not conclusive yet until I run some tests, but there doesn't seem to be any body fat. It could just be a product of the decomposition but this boy appears to have been skin and bones when he died."

"There isn't much left of him, Alexx. How can you tell?"

"Bone density, chemical analysis. It will take a few hours. But my best guess, this boy was starved and tortured."

"Is there anything we can use to ID him?" Eric asked. "There isn't enough of his face for a visual ID and his hands are too decomposed for fingerprints. Can we get a tooth?"

"Already done," Alex said and handed over a small jar containing one molar. "His teeth were in pretty bad shape too. Another sign of malnutrition."

"Thanks, Alexx. I'll get this over to DNA. Let me know if you find anything else," he said on his way out the door.

ooo

Tim was lying on the blanket resting his head in Horatio's lap. The remains of their lunch sat nearby. Horatio smiled down at him. He looked relaxed and happy. He regretted the fact that they would have to go home soon. He ran his fingers down Tim's arm.

"Hey," he said. Tim opened his eyes. "It's getting late. We should think about getting back."

Tim rolled to his side and snuggled back into Horatio's lap. "Don't want to," he whined.

Horatio chuckled and rested his arm on Tim's side. "Hmm. Well, we can't sleep here tonight."

Tim sighed and sat up. He leaned up against Horatio and laid his head on his shoulder. "I know. It's just so peaceful here."

Horatio could sympathize with him. He knew his partner's anxiety would return as soon as they got home. He wrapped his arms around the younger man and gave him a hug.

"How 'bout we stop and grab a copy of the real estate listings on the way home. We can start looking for a new house?" Horatio suggested.

Tim pulled back and looked him in the eyes. "You really want to do this?" Horatio nodded. Tim smiled. "Ok, let's get going then."

ooo

"Tomorrow's the best I can do right now, Delko," Valera said. "I have three priority cases ahead of you. You're next in line after them. I promise."

"Thanks," he said and walked out. He ran into Ryan on his way back to the trace lab. "Won't have DNA 'til tomorrow," he sighed.

"Well, I've got the report from auto theft," Ryan said handing a file over to Eric.

As Eric read the file his heart sank. The car had been stolen from the parking lot of Club Descent approximately three months ago. Max had been the one to make the report. This meant that once again he would need to involve Horatio's friend in an investigation. He debated with himself whether he should call Horatio but decided against it. Since he knew why Horatio was taking time off so he decided to go to Calleigh first.

"We should go to this club," Ryan insisted.

"We will but I'd rather wait until tomorrow when we have the DNA. It would help if we knew who our victim is before we jump in and start questioning people. Let's go talk to Calleigh. She's in charge while Horatio's on vacation."

They found Calleigh in the ballistics lab. "Hi guys," she said with a smile. But at the look on Delko's face she added, "What's wrong?"

He brought her up to speed on the case then handed her the auto theft report. "Have you called Max yet?" she asked.

"Not yet. I was hoping to wait until tomorrow when we have the DNA and hopefully an ID on the victim. I don't need to go in there again and ask him if anyone is missing. Twice in one year is enough," he said.

"I agree," she said. "It may just be a coincidence." After a moment she asked, "You didn't bother Horatio with this, did you?"

Ryan answered, "No. Delko wanted to bring it to you first."

"Good," she said. "No need to interrupt his anniversary. Not so soon after…"

Eric shot her a look and she stopped. Ryan didn't know about Horatio and Tim or their past yet and Horatio had asked them to keep it that way for the time being, at least until he'd had a chance to feel the new CSI out a bit.

Ryan looked back and forth between the two. He knew there were things they weren't telling him. Obviously they knew about the club and had had dealings with it before. He also had no idea that Horatio was off because of an anniversary. Or for that matter that he had a wife to have an anniversary with. He kept wondering how long it would take before people around the lab started trusting him.

ooo

Tim pulled up to a stoplight at the edge of town. He turned back to Horatio and asked, "You feel like grabbing dinner at the club?"

Horatio smiled. He wasn't really hungry but he could tell that Tim didn't really want to go home just yet so he agreed. "Sure," he said.

A short while later they pulled into the parking lot of Club Descent. The sun had just gone down and there was a cool breeze blowing. Tim took Horatio's hand as they walked across the parking lot. The pounding beat of the music hit them as they walked through the door. Max caught sight of them as they walked over to the bar.

"Hey, guys," he said. "What are ya doin' here tonight?" he asked. It wasn't their usual night.

"Just out for the day. Thought we'd stop by for dinner," Tim said. He returned a couple of waves from the dance floor as he spoke.

"I'll clear ya a table," Max said and signaled to one of the waiters.

Tim was staring out at the crowd of men dancing. "Go ahead," Horatio said. "I'll come get you when the table's ready."

Tim leaned in and gave him a kiss. "Thanks," he said as he headed over to his friends on the dance floor.

Max pushed a beer across the counter to Horatio who grabbed it and took a pull. "Everything ok, Horatio?" Max asked.

The redhead sighed. "I think he doesn't want to go home. We spent the day up north, a secluded little spot we went to a year ago."

"Had a good time I take it," Max said with a smirk. One side of Horatio's mouth quirked up and Max saw a slight blush form on his neck. He chuckled. "Never figured ya fer the… outdoors type."

Horatio cleared his throat. "It was a very secluded spot," he said and took another pull on his beer.

Max laughed and they watched Tim out on the dance floor for a few moments. Once again in his element he looked relaxed and happy. "How's he been doing?" Max asked.

Horatio shrugged. "About the same. I need to get him out of that house. We're going to start looking for a new place."

Max was surprised. "Yer gonna move?" he asked.

Horatio nodded. "He's never going to be himself again in that house. There are just too many reminders of what happened there. He froze up on me this morning when we were walking out the door. We heard a noise in the bushes. It was just the neighbor's cat, but…" Horatio shook his head.

"Well I gotta couple a friends who are real estate agents. If ya want me to hook ya up let me know."

"Thanks. I might just take you up on that, Max."

ooo

Eric walked into the trace lab and found Ryan bent over a microscope. He stood in the doorway for a moment watching him. Their newest colleague was a bit obsessive about his work, not to mention a little impatient. Those weren't necessarily bad qualities for a CSI but at the moment they needed to proceed carefully, even if he couldn't tell the other man why just yet. He walked up to the table.

"Hey, Wolfe." Ryan looked up from what he was doing. "Go home," he said. "This will still be here in the morning. Go get some rest."

"I don't like leaving things unfinished," he said. Eric remembered him mentioning his OCD on several occasions but he didn't quite realize what it meant. "We're not going to solve this one in a day. Go home and sleep. We can come back and start fresh in the morning." He saw that Ryan was about to protest so he added, "I can get Calleigh to make that an order if I have to."

Ryan sighed and finally gave in. He was tired and he knew he probably wasn't working at his best at the moment. He just really wanted to do whatever he needed to do to prove to the others he had what it took to be a good CSI.

ooo

Horatio looked at his watch. It was getting late and he was getting tired. He walked over to Tim who was talking with Max near the bar. He stepped up behind his lover and slipped his arms around his waist. Tim leaned back into Horatio's embrace.

"It's getting late, babe. We should get home," he said.

Tim rested his head back on Horatio's shoulder and sighed. "I guess you're right," he said reluctantly.

"I'll walk out with ya," Max said.

He'd gotten into the habit of walking them out to their car when they were at the club. He really didn't expect to see Simon back there again but it made him feel better to see them off himself. They said their goodbyes and Max watched them ride off down the road.

They arrived home and Tim pulled his bike into the garage. They walked side by side up the path until Horatio notice Tim's pace slowed. He reached over and took his hand. They hadn't thought to leave the lights on so the yard and the house were dark. Horatio could feel Tim's anxiety as they approached the house. He gave his hand a squeeze as they stepped up onto the porch.

Horatio unlocked and opened the front door. He reached in and flipped the light switch then disarmed the security system and closed the door. He did all of this with one hand as Tim had a vice grip on his other hand. Horatio could feel him trembling as they walked in.

Horatio had become accustom to the routine for re-entering the house after dark. He checked behind the stairs then looked in the study and downstairs bathroom. He went into the kitchen and tuned on the light. All of this was necessary before Tim could let himself relax. Finally, after all the checks were done, Tim released Horatio's hand and turned away.

Horatio reached out and spun him back around but Tim wouldn't meet his eyes. Horatio pulled him into a hug. Tim wrapped his arms around him and held on. "I can't live like this anymore," he said softly.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Club Descent: Accused (4/11)

Author: Aeon Cole

Beta: sharpiesgal/Dino

Rating: FRAO

Warning: Slash

Fandom: CSI: Miami

Pairing: Horatio/Speed

Spoilers: None

Challenge: 50 Dark Fics

Prompt: #10 Torture

Word Count: 2140

Summary: A discovery in a quarry lake brings back some old memories and puts Max in a tight spot.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Monday, October 11, 2004

Eric pulled his phone out of his pocket and read the screen. "It's a 911 page from DNA," he said to Ryan who was working next to him.

"911?" Ryan asked. "What could…"

But Eric was already out the door. Ryan jogged after him. They walked into the DNA lab and caught Valera's attention.

"What's the emergency?" Eric asked.

Valera didn't say anything. She simply handed him a sheet of paper and turned her computer screen to face him. Eric looked at the paper then at the screen then back at Valera.

"This is a mistake. It has to be."

"Triple checked it. At first I thought there was some kind of contamination seeing as how I had just sorted the evidence from the old case for storage. Then I thought it was a computer glitch," she explained. "But it's not a mistake."

"Have you told anyone else about this yet?" he asked. She shook her head. "Good. Don't. At least for the time being," he added then turned and left the room.

Ryan stared at the computer screen. "Who is Simon Cole?" he asked.

"Better ask Delko," Valera answered.

Ryan darted out of the DNA lab and caught up with Delko. "What's going on? Who is this guy?"

Eric thought for a moment before answering. If Ryan didn't recognize the name than he knew much less than Eric had suspected. "Where did you work patrol before you came here?" Eric asked him.

"Brevard County up north. I transferred to Miami when I started at the University about four months ago."

Eric nodded. He still found it hard to believe that he hadn't heard anything about what had happened. "How much do you know about Horatio?"

"Personally or professionally?" Ryan asked.

"Personally."

"Nothing."

"How did you end up here at CSI?" Eric asked.

"One of my professors heard about an opening and suggested I go for it. What does this have to do with anything?" Ryan asked.

"Who was the professor?"

"Dr. Speedle in the Chemistry department. Why?" Ryan asked.

Eric rolled his eyes. "Figures," he muttered.

They walked into the ballistics lab just as Calleigh looked up. "Cal, we've got a problem," Eric said as he handed over the DNA report.

"This is from your floater?" she asked. Eric nodded. Calleigh sat down hard in her chair. "We have to call Horatio."

"And we need to bring Wolfe up to speed," Eric added glancing at the man standing next to him.

"I agree, but Horatio first. It has to be his decision," Calleigh said.

ooo

"Find anything yet?" Horatio asked as he sat down at the kitchen table.

Tim had the newspaper open in front of him and was scribbling notes from it onto a pad. "A couple actually, one north of the city and one not too far from here. Both on the beach," he said with a smile.

Horatio took a sip of his coffee. "Good. We can make some phone calls this morning." He reached over and gave Tim's hand a squeeze. "I'm going to open the doors and let some fresh air in," he said. Tim nodded.

But Horatio's cell phone rang before he even had a chance to get up. He answered it, "Horatio."

"H, it's Eric. We have a situation," Eric said.

"What is it, Eric?" Horatio asked.

Eric explained to Horatio about finding the body, the autopsy results, and finally the DNA. Tim was watching Horatio while he was on the phone and noticed a sudden change in his facial expression. Though the redhead quickly schooled his features, it didn't get by Tim that something was wrong, possibly very wrong.

"Ok, bring Mr. Wolfe up to speed and see what you can find out at the club. Don't reveal too much. We don't know who did this but they are obviously capable of some pretty nasty stuff," he said.

"Stetler's gonna get wind of this eventually, H."

"Better head that off. Bring him up to speed as well. Better to have him involved from the beginning then have him find out later," Horatio said.

He and Stetler had come to an understanding where it came to Simon Cole. Horatio had agreed that he and his team had become too personally involved and the best course of action was to allow Rick to call the shots if Simon ever surfaced again.

"He's going to want you to come in for an interview. Tim also."

"We'll deal with that when it happens, Eric. Be careful," he said before he hung up.

Tim was becoming anxious and as soon as Horatio hung up the phone he asked, "What's wrong?"

Horatio moved to the seat next to him and took Tim's hand. "They've um… they've found Simon." He felt Tim immediately stiffen. "It's ok," he said. "You're safe. Simon's dead. They found his body."

It took a moment for Horatio's words to sink in. "Dead?" he muttered like he was trying to understand what the word meant. "He's dead?"

Horatio nodded. "Yeah."

Tim wasn't sure how to react to the news. "How?"

Horatio sighed. "Eric and Wolfe found his body yesterday morning," Horatio started to say.

Tim interrupted. "And they waited until now to say anything?"

"They didn't know it was him. It appears he died about three months ago." Horatio said.

Tim got up and started pacing the kitchen. "Three months ago? So for the past three months I've been living… like this for nothing. He's been dead the whole time?"

He was getting himself worked up. Horatio stood up wanting to calm him down. He hadn't been sure just how Tim would react to the news before he told him but he hadn't expected anger.

"Tim," Horatio said reaching for him. But Tim pulled away and stalked into the living room.

"Three months," he said again. His mind was running over everything that had happened in the past three months; the fear, the anxiety, the nightmares, all for nothing. "Even dead he's still fucking with me," he practically yelled.

Tim stopped pacing and took a deep breath. He flopped down on the sofa and Horatio walked up to him. "You done?" he asked looking down at his lover. "Because I thought you'd be relieved."

"I need to see him," Tim said simply, not looking up.

Horatio hesitated. "I don't know if that's a good idea," he said. Eric had told him about the state the body was in and he didn't know how Tim would react given his current mood.

Tim looked up at him. "I need to see him," he said again leaving no room for argument.

Horatio nodded. "You should know, from what Eric told me, the level of decomposition is high. They needed DNA to identify him."

"I'll know him. Don't worry," Tim muttered.

"It's not going to be pretty. He was found in the water," Horatio warned him.

Tim gave him a curt nod. "I don't care. I need to see him."

Sighing, Horatio pulled out his cell phone. "I'll call Alexx."

ooo

"I don't think this is a good idea, Horatio" Alexx said as she looked at the badly decomposed remains on her table.

"I agree, Alexx. But I can't talk him out of it," Horatio said with a sigh.

"All right," Alexx relented. "I'll clean him up as much as I can. But to be honest, I'd rather just dump him in the incinerator."

"Well, like it or not, he's the victim now and we need his body as evidence," Horatio replied.

"Mmm. Come in this afternoon. I'll have him ready for you."

"Thanks, Alexx," Horatio said then snapped his phone shut. He looked over at Tim who was staring out the back door at the ocean. "This afternoon," he said.

ooo

Eric walked into the trace lab and found Ryan at the table with a large file open in front of him. He looked up when he heard Eric at the door. He sighed and shook his head.

"I don't see why someone wouldn't want to kill this guy," Ryan said. "He was a sadistic serial killer."

"Yeah, I know," Eric agreed. "But it's still our job to find out who killed him. Have you gotten through the entire file yet?"

Ryan nodded. "I'm on my second read through. All of this about Horatio and Dr. Speedle, I still can't believe it."

Eric was a bit worried about how Wolfe would react to the whole situation. Things had been a bit tense between Horatio and the uniformed officers for a while after everything broke.

"Do you have a problem with the situation?" he asked.

Ryan answered quickly. "No. Not at all. Just surprised."

"Good," Eric said. "So, you got any plans tonight?" Ryan glanced at him and raised an eyebrow. "We need to go to Club Descent and talk to a few people."

ooo

As Horatio drove to the lab he stole an occasional glance at his lover in the seat next to him. He had become accustom to Tim's mood swings but it still worried him when he became completely non-communicative. He hadn't said a word all afternoon and Horatio was wondering what exactly was going on inside his head right now. He pulled his car into a parking space at CSI and turned to look at Tim. He was still staring out the window and appeared not to notice that they had arrived at their destination.

He reached over and took his hand giving it a squeeze. "We're here," he said. Tim looked up and seemed to focus again. "You ready for this?"

Tim nodded and opened his door. He got out and looked back at Horatio who was still sitting in the car. "You coming?" he asked. That was the first thing he'd said all afternoon and Horatio startled at hearing his voice. He got out of the car with an embarrassed chuckle.

Tim seemed to hesitate momentarily as they approached the elevator. Horatio paused. "You sure about this?" he asked again. Tim nodded and hit the button for the elevator.

They rode down in silence. When they exited the elevator in the hallway just outside the morgue Tim reached over and took Horatio's hand. "You ever been in a morgue before?" Horatio asked.

"Yeah, once," Tim said quietly but didn't elaborate.

Horatio led them inside and Alexx greeted them. She took one look at Tim and said, "You don't have to do this."

Tim looked her right in the eye and replied, "Yes, I do."

She nodded and pulled the drawer open. "I cleaned him up as best as I could." She stood on the opposite side of the sheet-covered body from the two men. "Let me know when you're ready."

Tim took a breath and said, "Ok."

Alex pulled the sheet back to reveal the upper half of the body beneath. Tim knew the chemistry of decomposition and he thought he knew what to expect. But when he saw Simon's body he took a small almost imperceptible step backwards. Horatio had been right, there wasn't much left.

The decomposition around his head and face was severe. He could understand why no one recognized him at first, though to Tim's eyes there was no doubt as to the man's identity. He scanned down the body and noticed several things that made him pause.

"Why does he look so thin? And why does his chest look sunken in like that?" he asked softly, barely above a whisper.

Horatio hadn't given him any of the details that Eric had passed on to him. The story was too gruesome and he didn't want to upset his lover any more than he already was. Alexx and Horatio exchanged a glance.

"He, um," Horatio hesitated slightly before continuing. "He didn't die naturally," he finally said.

Tim looked down at the body of the man who had been his tormentor, his stalker, his kidnapper, the body of the man who had, long ago, been his lover. "What happened to him?"

Again Alexx glanced at Horatio looking for guidance. "It's not pretty," Horatio said.

"I don't care, Horatio. I need to know," he pleaded.

Horatio nodded to Alexx giving her permission to tell Tim the details. She explained what they had found out so far. Their best guess was that he had been taken at least a couple of months before he died. He been starved and tortured then killed and dumped in the lake.

Tim listened trying to imagine who could have done this. He certainly knew enough people who had made threats against Simon but no one he could imagine going to these lengths, even Simon himself. Alexx finished her explanation and Tim glanced down at the body on the slide one last time, as a single tear broke free.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Club Descent: Accused (5/11)

Author: Aeon Cole

Beta: sharpiesgal/Dino

Rating: FRAO

Warning: Slash

Fandom: CSI: Miami

Pairing: Horatio/Speed

Spoilers: None

Challenge: 50 Dark Fics

Prompt: #7 Awakening

Word Count: 2115

Summary: A discovery in a quarry lake brings back some old memories and puts Max in a tight spot.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Tim leaned up against the wall next to the elevator as they waited for the car. His mind was running over the list of people he knew who had made threats against Simon and wondered briefly if any of them were capable of doing what Alexx had described. He shook his head. No one he was friends with could have done this he was certain of that. There had to be others that Simon had known during the time he wasn't with Tim, especially during that last year.

Horatio was watching him closely with concern written all over his face. Tim had lapsed into silence again and he was worried that he might start to withdraw. But he seemed alert, just lost in thought. Horatio cocked his head to one side.

"Hey," he said. "You ok?"

Tim looked over at him shaking his head slightly. "Who could have done this, Horatio?"

Horatio ducked his head momentarily and sighed. "I wish I could tell you," he said just as the elevator alert sounded and the doors slid open.

They stepped in and rode the car up to the main floor. When the doors slid open again they were standing face to face with Rick Stetler. "Horatio," Rick said.

Tim looked at the man in front of them. He looked familiar and it took him a moment to place him. He'd been the one who had asked Tim questions at the hospital after his rescue.

"I'd like to talk with both of you," he said.

Horatio took up a protective position just in front of Tim. "Now's not the best time."

"It's ok," he heard from behind him. "I don't mind," Tim said stepping out from Horatio's shadow.

Horatio turned to face his lover completely ignoring Stetler for the moment. "Are you sure you want to do this now?" he asked.

Tim nodded. "Yes, I want to find the person who did this," he said firmly. "No one deserves to have his life ended like that, not even Simon. Anything I can do to help I'll do."

His voice was once again strong and confident and Horatio could see the conviction in his eyes. He gave in and agreed. Rick tried to hide a smirk. He could count on one hand the number of people he'd seen stand up to Horatio and prevail like that so quickly. He stepped into the elevator.

"Why don't we head upstairs?" he asked.

As they rode up in the elevator, Tim wracked his brain trying to remember the name of the man with them. Finally he gave up and asked.

"I'm sorry but I can't remember your name," he said a bit embarrassed both for his lapse in memory and for the fact that Horatio had neglected to introduce them.

"Rick Stetler," Rick said with a small smile, holding out his hand. Tim shook the offered hand. "I interviewed you when you were in the hospital."

"I remember that. I'm just bad with names," Tim said with a slight chuckle.

They walked to one of the empty rooms and Rick turned to Horatio. "I'd like to talk to each of you separately," he said.

Horatio didn't say anything but he glanced at Tim who nodded and followed Rick into the room. Rick shut the door and Horatio wandered over to take a seat on the bench against the opposite wall so he could keep an eye on the two in the room.

Inside Rick offered Tim a seat. "I'd like to ask you a few questions, Mr. Speedle."

"It's Tim and I'm not sure what I can tell you," he said.

"Well, we could start with do you have any idea who could have done this?" Rick asked.

Tim shook his head. "I can't imagine anyone I know doing something like what I saw down there. I can't even imagine Simon treating someone like that to be honest."

Rick eyed him carefully. "Well, given the state you were in when you were found, I find that hard to believe."

Tim shook his head. "That was rage. He lashed out at me. It was fast and furious. And I remember Horatio telling me that all of the men he killed were killed quickly. Whoever did this did it slowly, over months, and purposefully. That takes a whole different type of animal."

Rick nodded. He couldn't argue with Tim's logic.

ooo

Ryan stood a short distance down the hall from Horatio. He watched him for a few minutes before approaching. Horatio's full attention was on the window that looked into the interrogation room. He seemed oblivious to everything else going on around him. As Ryan got closer he could see Tim in the room talking with Rick Stetler. He glanced back at Horatio who was leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees and staring straight ahead.

"Horatio?"

Horatio looked up without shifting his position and indicated for Ryan to take a seat. "Mr. Wolfe. What can I do for you?"

"Sergeant Stetler asked me to take the lead on this investigation," he said quietly. He really wasn't happy about that, but he'd been told that Horatio and his team were too close to everyone involved and he, being the new guy with no connections, was the logical choice. He also thought that this could be his chance to prove himself, and Eric and Calleigh didn't seem to have a problem with it. But he needed to know that Horatio was okay with it also.

"What have you found out so far?" Horatio asked.

Ryan sighed. "Not much yet. Eric and I are going to this club tonight to talk to some people."

Horatio nodded. "Max will help you out."

They were silent for a moment before Ryan finally asked, "H, do you have any idea who could have done this?"

Horatio sat up and looked Ryan in the eyes. "I don't know of anyone who knew Simon and actually liked him. I know a lot of people who hated him. Myself included. But to go to those lengths, I don't know." He leaned back and rested the back of his head against the wall. "I suppose we're both suspects right now," Horatio said.

"Not Dr. Speedle. If we're figuring the time frame of the victim's captivity correctly, the doc was still in the hospital when all this started."

Horatio turned his head and asked, "And me?"

Ryan shrugged. "I think we can probably rule you out too seeing as how, according to the others, you pretty much never left his hospital room. Even Stetler's willing to admit that he doesn't believe you could have done this."

"Good to know," Horatio said.

They lapsed into silence again, both watching Tim and Stetler in the other room. They seemed to be getting along just fine and at one point he even saw Stetler smile at something Tim had said. He looked back over at Horatio.

"He told us he was in a motorcycle accident," Ryan said. Horatio glanced over at him. "Dr. Speedle, I mean. When he came into class the first day, he was still on crutches, still pretty banged up. That's what he told us."

Horatio nodded. "Does Stetler know your connection to him? That he's the one that suggested I hire you?"

"I told him when he talked to me about investigating this case. But I didn't know his connection to you until this morning."

One side of Horatio's mouth quirked up. "You don't listen to precinct gossip much, do you Mr. Wolfe?"

Ryan shook his head. "I guess I never had much time for that stuff."

ooo

"So he traveled a lot?" Rick asked.

Tim nodded. "Yeah. He'd be gone for a couple of weeks at a time. Not at first, but later on and during that last year, after I'd left, I wouldn't see him for a couple of months at a time. No idea where he went or what he did when he was gone. I was just glad he was gone."

"If you don't mind me asking, why didn't you just leave?" Rick asked.

Tim was silent for a moment. This was something he was still working through. "I don't know if I could answer that right now. All I can say is that I was a different person when I was with him. He had this control over me. I can't really explain it."

Rick understood. He'd spent enough time with the violent crimes unit before coming to Miami and had seen many people in Tim's position before. "It's ok. I think that's all I need for now."

Horatio looked up when he heard the door open. "Thanks for your help, Tim. I'll be in touch if I need anything else."

The two men shook hands and Tim walked toward Horatio. Horatio stood and met him in the middle of the hallway. They exchanged a few quiet words then Horatio followed Stetler into the room and Tim took a seat on the bench next to Ryan.

As Ryan had decided not to return to the university when he took the CSI position, he hadn't seen Tim in several months. He was happy to see that he had healed from his injuries. "You look a lot better than the last time I saw you," he said. "How do you feel?"

"Leg's a pretty good barometer, otherwise fine," Tim answered. "How's the new job going?"

"Ok, I guess," Ryan answered.

"You don't sound so convinced," Tim replied.

Ryan shrugged. "I don't know. I guess it'll just take some time before I fit in."

Tim nodded. "They'll come around. It took a while before they warmed up to me."

"Yeah, but I'm not…" Ryan stopped himself before he finished his thought.

Tim couldn't hide his smirk, knowing what the young man was about to say. "Yeah, but your not sleeping with the boss," Tim finished for him.

"I didn't mean…"

"I know. It's ok. We don't hide our relationship," Tim said reassuringly.

ooo

"So, Horatio, any thoughts on who could've done this," Rick asked.

Horatio had been wracking his brain ever since the phone call from Eric that morning. He could think of several people from the club who were physically capable, that is, had the strength to carry out that sort of torture. But he couldn't imagine any of them actually doing it.

"Honestly Rick, I can't picture anyone we know actually being capable of carrying this out."

"What about Max Tanner? He certainly is physically capable," Rick suggested.

Horatio sighed. As much as he hated to admit it, Max had been at the top of his list as well. But everything he knew of the man suggested he was all talk. So he thought carefully before he answered.

"Max was my first thought also. However, I don't think he's capable. He may be physically imposing but he's got a gentle nature in general, at least from what I've seen."

"He's the bouncer at Club Descent, Horatio. I don't know too many gentle bouncers," Rick pointed out.

Horatio couldn't argue with that. "He uses his size to intimidate. He rarely has to do more than loom."

Rick hadn't actually met the man personally but he had caught a glimpse of him a year ago when Calleigh had called him in for an interview. "Well, like it or not, he's still at the top of my list. He made public threats toward the victim in front of police officers."

"I think you're wrong, Rick," Horatio argued.

"Well, that's exactly why you're not in charge of this investigation, Horatio."

"Really, I thought it was because you consider me a suspect," Horatio countered.

Rick smirked. "I don't consider you a suspect, Horatio. In fact, I can account for your whereabouts during the months after Tim's rescue with pretty descent accuracy." He sat back and waited for what he'd said to register. It only took a second before Horatio responded.

"You've been having me followed?" he asked.

"Only to the extent that the chief was worried for your safety in the months after Tim's abduction. He put a car on you the night Tim was taken." Horatio was about to protest when Rick continued. "Be glad we did, Horatio. You were obviously too distracted by what was going on to be aware of it, so if Simon had come after you or Tim again, I doubt you'd have realized it. And, besides, if it wasn't for the tail, you would be our prime suspect."

Horatio glared at the other man for a moment before he stood up and walked to the door. "We're done for now," he said and walked out.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Title: Club Descent: Accused (6/11)

Author: Aeon Cole

Beta: sharpiesgal/Dino

Rating: FRAO

Warning: Slash

Fandom: CSI: Miami

Pairing: Horatio/Speed

Spoilers: None

Challenge: 50 Dark Fics

Prompt: #15 Angry

Word Count: 1890

Summary: A discovery in a quarry lake brings back some old memories and puts Max in a tight spot.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Tim sat in the car watching Horatio as he drove. He wasn't driving aggressively, but he was driving a little faster than he usually did and he was passing cars where he would normally just follow behind. Tim had tried to ask him what was wrong as they left the station but Horatio ignored his question. He was almost afraid that if he hadn't kept up Horatio would have gotten into the car and driven off without him.

The redhead didn't say a word all of the way home. Tim could tell he was upset about something, which was obvious. But he'd never seen Horatio angry like this before and it made him a little nervous. This was uncharted territory for him. Horatio had always been very even-tempered and calm. When they arrived home, Horatio got out of the car without saying a word and started up the path. He stopped halfway up and just stood there when he heard the car door slam shut behind him. Tim stopped several paces behind not knowing what to expect. He didn't know if Horatio wanted to be left alone or if he should try to get him to talk. He opted for talking.

"Horatio?" He didn't approach any closer and Horatio didn't move or acknowledge him. "Talk to me please," he begged. "You're scaring me."

The words hit him like a slap. He hadn't been thinking about how Tim would react to his mood. He took a deep breath and let it out then turned to face his lover. He ducked his head, embarrassed, and held out his hand. Tim hesitated.

"I'm not mad at you. I promise," Horatio said. He took a tentative step closer but stopped when he saw Tim take a small step back. He looked Tim in the eyes. "I'd never do anything to hurt you," he said sincerely.

Tim nodded. "I know," he replied realizing that his step back was pure instinct. He closed the distance between them. "I've just never seen you like this before."

Horatio wrapped his arms around him and they held each other for a few moments. "I shouldn't let Stetler get under my skin like that," he said. "I'm sorry I scared you."

"What happened back there, Horatio?" Tim asked.

Horatio took his hand. "Let's go inside and I'll tell you," he said and led him up the path.

Once inside Horatio flopped down on the sofa. Tim took a seat next to him. "Horatio, does Rick think you're a suspect in this?" Horatio shook his head. "Then what is it that's got you so upset?"

Horatio sighed. "I'm not a suspect because apparently Stetler had me tailed for several months after you were rescued." Tim raised an eyebrow. "He thought I was too distracted to watch my own back and yours if Simon returned." He looked over at Tim. "And you know what? He was right. I had no idea I was being tailed. If it had been Simon, I wouldn't have known. I wouldn't have been able to protect you."

Tim stared at him for a moment before something snapped inside his brain. He flashed back to the elevator and the way Horatio reacted when Rick had said he wanted to talk to them. "You have to stop trying to protect me all of the time, Horatio. What happened wasn't your fault. Stop trying to be a superman."

Horatio rolled his eyes. That wasn't the first time he'd been accused of that. "I'm not trying to be a superman," he said a bit more forcefully than he'd meant to.

"Like hell you're not," Tim countered. "Why did you step between me and Rick in the elevator before?"

"I… I didn't think it was the right time for questions," Horatio said trying to defend his actions.

Tim stood up and paced across the room. "Exactly. *You* didn't think it was the right time. Did it occur to you to ask me if I wanted to answer his questions?"

Horatio looked down at his hands. "I um… I guess I'm just used to…"

"…being in charge, making all the decisions?" Tim finished for him. "Well, I don't need someone to be in charge of me. I may need help some of the time but I don't need a keeper. And I don't want Lieutenant Caine right now. " He took a few steps closer to the sofa and softened his voice. "I want Horatio back," he said quietly.

Horatio stood and took a couple of tentative steps toward him still not meeting his eyes. "It's not that easy for me to turn that part of myself off," he said. But before Tim could say anything he continued. "But I promise, I will do my best to leave Lieutenant Caine at the lab from now on."

Tim nodded. "Just include me in the decisions, ok?"

Horatio nodded and pulled Tim into his arms. Tim relaxed into the hug. "Hmm," Horatio hummed.

"What?" Tim asked not leaving Horatio's arms.

"Did we just have our first fight?" Horatio asked.

Tim pulled back just far enough to look into the redhead's eyes. "I guess this means the honeymoon's over, huh?"

Horatio chuckled. "Or maybe it means we get to make up," he suggested with a raised eyebrow. "That is, if you're in agreement."

Tim smirked. "That's not one of those decisions you need to check with me about," he joked as he grabbed Horatio's hand and pulled him toward the stairs.

ooo

Max was just unlocking the club when his cell phone rang. He walked inside and closed the door behind him then pulled his phone out.

"Yeah," he said.

"Max, it's Eric Delko."

"Eric? It's been a while," Max replied.

"Yeah, I know. But I need to talk to you."

There was something in Eric's tone that had Max worried. The last couple of times one of Horatio's team had contacted him it was because someone had died. He couldn't help making the association.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Not over the phone. I have some news and I need to ask you a few questions," Eric said.

"Is Tim ok?" Max asked.

He heard Eric chuckle. "Yeah, Tim's fine. So is Horatio. Can I come by this evening?"

"Of course. Yer welcome here anytime ya like."

"Thanks, Max," Eric said. "I'm going to be bringing someone with me."

"Ok," Max answered still wondering what was going on.

As soon as Max ended the call with Delko he dialed Tim's number. The call went straight to voice mail. "Call me when ya get this. It's important," he said then hung up.

When Max looked up he saw Gus, one of the bartenders, standing next to him and he startled slightly. "Damn, yer quiet," he joked.

Gus laughed. "Sorry," he said. "Everything all right, Max?"

"Yeah, fine," Max answered quickly. "Why don't ya start gettin' things prepped for tonight?"

He watched as Gus readied the bar. Gus had been a real lifesaver these past few months with Theo gone. Max watched him for a few moments while he tried to think of what Eric could possibly want. The past couple of times he'd seen him it was because something was wrong, first Rosie then Theo. He mentally ran through a list of his regulars trying to remember the last time he'd seen each of them. As far as he could tell everyone was accounted for. He shook his head and decided to put it out of his mind for the time being.

ooo

Tim slipped out of bed once he was certain that Horatio was asleep. He pulled on his pants then looked down at the bed and smiled. Horatio was sprawled out with the sheet down around his waist. Tim figured he'd sleep for a while after wearing himself out making up for their argument. He would love to just lie there with him for the rest of the evening, but he had a few phone calls to make and he knew he wouldn't rest until that was done. He went downstairs, grabbed his phone and headed for the study not wanting to wake Horatio. He turned on the phone and dialed Max.

"Hey, Max," he said when the other man answered.

"That was quick. Usually it takes ya half a day t'get back t'me," Max said.

Tim was confused. "What are you talking about?"

"The message I left a couple hours ago," Max answered.

Tim laughed. "Oh, I didn't check my voice mail."

"So yer psychic now?" Max said with just a hint of sarcasm.

"Um, no. I have some news," Tim said, all traces of humor gone from his voice. "Simon's dead."

Max was silent for a moment. "Are ya sure?" he asked.

"Yeah. Horatio's team verified his identity with DNA," Tim said. "And I saw the body. It's him."

Max was careful how he responded; there was something in Tim's voice. "Are ya ok?" he asked.

Tim sighed. "Truthfully? I don't know how to feel. He was murdered."

"Murdered?"

"Not just murdered, Max. He was tortured, for a long time," Tim added.

"By who?" Max asked.

"They don't know."

Then it occurred to him. "That must be what Eric wants ta talk t'me about then," he said.

"Yeah, I guess so. They're talking to everyone who knows… I mean knew him."

Max could still hear something in his friend's voice. "Tim, this isn't a bad thing." He heard Tim sigh. "This isn't a bad thing. It means yer free of'm. Ya don't have t'be afraid anymore."

Tim sighed again. "It's still sinking in. But I'm still afraid. The guy that did this, Max… I don't know. Simon was pretty messed up but this guy, what he did to him and for months, I just can't imagine it."

Max wanted to ask what exactly had happened but he didn't want Tim to get any more upset so he held off his curiosity for the time being. "Well, try ta concentrate on the fact that he's gone, and that he can never hurt ya again."

Tim nodded. "Yeah, I guess so."

"I know so, Tim," Max said. "Look, I gotta get back t'work. Go relax and enjoy yer freedom."

"Thanks, Max. I'll talk to you later."

ooo

Max snapped his phone shut and slipped it back into his pocket. Gus, who was standing next to him behind the bar, turned to him and asked, "What was that about?"

"Ya remember me tellin' ys about that creep that kidnapped Tim, back 'round the time ya first started here?" Max asked him.

"Yeah. His ex. What was his name?"

"Simon. The cops found him yesterday, dead," Max said as he wiped down the bar.

Gus' eyes widened. "Really? Where'd they find him?"

"Don't know. Tim didn't say. He did say that he was murdered," Max said absently.

"Murdered? By who?" Gus asked.

Max shrugged. "Tim said they didn't know. Couple a guys from the crime lab are comin' here t'night. We can find out from them."

"Why are they coming here?"

"Tim said they're talkin' ta everyone who knew'm. Tryin' ta figure out what happened I guess. The guy who's comin' is Eric Delko. Eric's a good guy. I met'm last year. If anyone can figure out what happened, it's him."

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Title: Club Descent: Accused (7/11)

Author: Aeon Cole

Beta: sharpiesgal/Dino

Rating: FRAO

Warning: Slash

Fandom: CSI: Miami

Pairing: Horatio/Speed

Spoilers: None

Challenge: 50 Dark Fics

Prompt: #56 Madness

Word Count: 1675

Summary: A discovery in a quarry lake brings back some old memories and puts Max in a tight spot.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Tim snapped his phone shut after his second call. He had told Jess about the police finding Simon's body. She was excited and happy for him. She even suggested they should go out and celebrate. Tim was beginning to wonder if there was something wrong with him. He wasn't excited or happy to find out Simon was dead, maybe because he knew the method, but he felt bad. He felt sorry for him and he felt scared that there was someone out there who could have done this to another human being.

He sighed. There was still one more call he had to make. He waited while the line kept ringing thinking it was going to go to the voice mail then a woman finally answered.

"Laura, it's Tim Speedle," Tim said.

"Tim, it's good to hear from you. Garrett's not here right now," she replied. Tim had stayed in touch with Garrett and his family talking to the boy every couple of weeks.

"Actually, it's you I wanted to talk to, Laura." He explained the situation to her with a bit more detail than he'd told the others. "So you don't need to worry about him coming back for Garrett."

Tim heard her sigh heavily. "That is such a relief, Tim. I can't tell you. Especially with everything else going on right now."

"How have you been managing with Jim gone?" he asked.

"We're doing ok. Jim finally started coming by on the weekends to see the kids. The first couple of months were really hard on them. They didn't understand why he stayed in Miami instead of coming home with us."

"Divorce is always hardest on the kids," Tim said.

"It doesn't help that he still blames me for what happened. If I hadn't suggested that cruise…"

"It wasn't your fault, Laura," Tim interrupted.

"I know. I keep telling myself that. He'd have gotten Garrett if he'd wanted to no matter what."

"That's exactly right," Tim said. He turned at a sound by the door and saw Horatio standing there. "I should get going. Will you tell Garrett for me? And tell him he can call me later," he said before he hung up.

"How are they doing?" Horatio asked as he walked over to Tim.

"Ok," Tim said reaching out a hand. He pulled Horatio close. "It's hard for her by herself with two kids." Horatio raised an eyebrow. "I know it wasn't easy for my mom after my dad left." He smiled just slightly. "I wasn't the easiest kid in the world to deal with."

Horatio laughed. "I wonder why," he said and leaned in for a kiss. When they pulled apart he heard Tim's stomach growl. "Hungry?" he asked.

"Yeah," Tim answered. "And you know what I'm in the mood for?" Horatio shrugged. "Pizza. We haven't had pizza in a while."

"Sounds good to me. Then maybe we can go through the rest of the real estate listings, since we got interrupted this morning."

"That place north of the city looks really good on paper. I'd like to take a look at it," Tim said. "It's close to the university and the lab, closer than we are here and it's on the beach."

Horatio looked at his watch. "Well, it's a little late to call tonight but first thing in the morning. And in the mean time we can find some others for comparison." He gave Tim a quick kiss. "I'll go call for the pizza."

ooo

Eric pulled the Hummer into the parking lot of Club Descent after dark. Ryan hopped out of the passenger side and looked around. The building was surrounded by warehouses and businesses.

"No wonder I'd never heard of this place before. It's pretty far out of the mainstream."

"In more ways than one," Eric added as they walked up to the main entrance.

Ryan stepped inside and glanced around, quickly trying to take in as much as he could. The place was dimly lit except for the colored lights behind the bar and the flashing lights over the dance floor. There was a pounding bass beat that he could feel through the floor accompanying the music. Out on the floor there was a sea of young men dancing and talking.

He shifted his gaze over the crowd and then over to the bar. There were several men serving drinks and chatting with each other. One of the men looked over in their direction and caught Eric's eye. Eric waved and Ryan followed him over to the bar.

"Eric," Max greeted him. "Good t'see ya." He and Eric shook hands. "I spoke to Tim. I know about Simon."

Eric nodded then glanced at Ryan. "Max, this is Ryan Wolfe. He's the lead investigator on this." Ryan held out a hand.

"Nice to meet ya," Max said. "So, what can I do t'help?"

Ryan opened the file he was carrying and pulled out a sheet of paper. He handed it over to Max. "Do you recognize this?"

Max took the paper. It was a stolen vehicle report along with a photograph of the car they had pulled out of the lake. Max looked it over. "Yeah. Where'd ya get the picture from?"

"We pulled that car out of a quarry lake the other day," Ryan said.

Max exchanged a glance with Eric. He had been certain that they were coming to talk about Simon. Then he turned to the man a few feet away and said, "Hey, Gus. They found yer car."

Ryan and Eric looked at each other then back at Max as Gus joined them. "My car?"

"Yeah, take a look," Max said handing over the photo.

Gus looked at the photo and said, "Yeah, that's my car all right. Where did you find it?"

"Submerged in a quarry lake to the west of here," Ryan said. Then after a moment he added, "With a dead body in the trunk."

Gus' head shot up. "Excuse me?" He stared at Ryan. "A dead body?" Ryan nodded. Gus looked back and forth between Max and the other two men. "A dead body," he said again. "Who put it there?"

"That's what we have to determine," Ryan said.

"Hang on a minute," Max interrupted. "Tim said ya found Simon dead."

"Yeah," Ryan answered. He pointed toward Gus. "In the trunk of his car."

"So whoever stole the car killed this guy," Gus suggested.

"That's one interpretation," Ryan said.

It took a moment before Gus caught on. "Wait a minute. That car was stolen from this parking lot three months ago. You can't possibly think that I had something to do with this."

"It is your car," Ryan pressed. "Where were you the night it was stolen?"

"Here, working," Gus answered.

"Why don't you tell us what happened?" Eric suggested.

Gus took a breath then said, "I'd driven to work like always, parked out in the lot. When we closed up at four the car was gone."

"Max, why did you file the initial report?" Eric asked.

"I still had Detective Tripp's card. I thought I could speed things up. As it turned out, all he was able t'do was direct me t'the auto theft folks."

"And you were both here all night that night?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah," Gus answered. "Otherwise, I'd probably have noticed the car was gone."

"What about you Max?"

"It was a long time ago and I don't really have a routine. I was probably here all night but I can't say fer sure," Max answered.

"Ok," Ryan said. "Do you have security cameras outside in the parking lot?"

"The officer who took the report asked the same question. No, only over the registers." Max answered.

Ryan nodded and exchanged a glance with Eric. "Thanks for your cooperation. We'll probably need to talk to you both again."

Both men agreed not to leave town then Eric and Ryan walked out. Ryan glanced around the parking lot as well as across the street at the one of the buildings.

"How much do you think the reporting officer investigated this theft?" he asked.

"A car stolen from the parking lot of a gay bar? Probably didn't do much more than put out a bolo," Eric answered. "Why?"

Ryan pointed to the building across the street. Eric followed his gaze and noticed a surveillance camera pointed toward the street. He smirked and glanced at Ryan.

"Can you work on getting a warrant tomorrow? I want to try to print the inside of the car," Eric said.

"Yeah, but wouldn't the water have washed away any prints?" Ryan asked.

Eric smiled. "Not necessarily. I needed to let the inside of the car dry out completely first. I'm going to try fuming it tomorrow, see what I get."

ooo

Tim curled into Horatio's arms while they sat on the sofa, the remains of their dinner left sitting on the coffee table. Horatio had the feeling that Tim's attention was not on the movie they were watching. He could certainly understand why. Once again their lives had been turned upside down because of Simon's presence. At least this time he knew Tim was safe and would stay that way. He ran his hand over Tim's back.

"Getting sleepy?" he asked.

Tim shrugged. "Not really. Just thinking."

"About what?" Horatio asked softly.

Tim sat up enough to look at Horatio. "Is there something wrong with me?" he asked cryptically. Horatio cocked his head to one side. "I mean, why am I not happy about all of this? Max, Jess, Laura, they were all relieved, all happy to hear Simon wouldn't be coming back."

Horatio pulled him back into his arms and sighed. "Did you tell them the details of how he died?" Tim shook his head. "Well, then there's your answer. All they know is that he's dead. He can't come back and hurt you again. That's what they're happy about."

"Yeah, I suppose," Tim said. "But there's still a psycho out there ten times worse than Simon ever was."

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Title: Club Descent: Accused (8/11)

Author: Aeon Cole

Beta: sharpiesgal/Dino

Rating: FRAO

Warning: Slash

Fandom: CSI: Miami

Pairing: Horatio/Speed

Spoilers: None

Challenge: 50 Dark Fics

Prompt: #65 Match

Word Count: 1755

Summary: A discovery in a quarry lake brings back some old memories and puts Max in a tight spot.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Tuesday, October 12, 2004

Eric set up the portable fuming chamber around the car. He set one tray of superglue inside the car and one outside the car near the trunk before stepping outside the tarp. He stood back and waited for the glue to do its job. Ryan wandered into the garage and saw what Eric was doing.

"You're fuming the entire car?" he asked a bit surprised.

"Why not?" Eric replied.

"There's gonna be a million prints on the outside of that thing," Ryan pointed out.

Eric nodded. "I only need one on the trunk, hopefully one that matches one inside."

"Ok," Ryan said still a bit dubious. "Stetler's working on getting the warrant for the security tapes from the building across from the club." He looked at the tent over the car then back at Eric. "We're gonna need to get elimination prints."

"Max and Gus will be in the state liquor authority's database," Eric said.

Ryan nodded. "So, I guess, now we wait?"

"Yup," Eric replied.

ooo

The real estate agent walked Horatio and Tim through the house. Horatio had called a woman whose name Max had given him. The young woman was very pleasant and had showed them several houses before bringing them to the one they had picked out from the paper. Tim fell in love with kitchen almost immediately, recently updated with all stainless steel appliances, and the view from the deck overlooking the beach had them both sold. Horatio asked the real estate agent for a moment alone.

"So what do you think?" he asked Tim after she'd stepped out of the room.

"Can we afford it?" Tim asked cautiously. The house was much bigger than Horatio's place with more land and in a better neighborhood.

"Easily," Horatio reassured him.

"Then I love it," Tim said with a huge grin.

After following the real estate agent back to her office to sign some papers, Horatio and Tim decided to go out and celebrate. They were assured that the sale would go through fairly quickly since the house was already unoccupied. And the current owners were willing to accept a rental agreement until the final sale went through so they could move in right a way. That was one of Horatio's conditions. His main goal was still to get Tim out of the house they were currently living in as soon as possible.

"So I guess we should start packing," Tim said as they waited for their lunch. Horatio smiled at him and Tim asked, "What?"

Horatio shrugged. "It's good to see you happy and excited about this," he said as he reached across the table for Tim's hand.

Tim smiled back at him. "It feels like I'm getting to start all over again. It feels good."

Horatio gave Tim's hand a squeeze. "We should tell Max and Michael."

"I'll give Max a call after we have lunch. Maybe we can swing by their place before he goes to work," Tim suggested.

"Sounds like a plan," Horatio said.

ooo

Eric carefully lifted and cataloged each print he found on the car. Ryan was right, the outside of the vehicle yielded a lot of prints and he got a decent number from the inside as well. It had helped a great deal that the car had been submerged in a quarry lake, a body of still, fresh water instead of the Glades, moving, salt water, or a river. The prints were well preserved. It took him a while to sort through all of the prints and get them scanned into the computer. Once that was done it was up to the software to do the rest. He sat back and waited for the results.

After an hour the computer had whittled the large pile of prints down to an manageable five individuals and only two of those prints were also on the inside driver's side of the car. Eric ran both sets of prints to identify them. One set belonged to the car's owner, which was no surprise, but the other belonged to Max. He wasn't too happy with that. It either meant that Gus was hiding something from them or Max was and he didn't like those odds.

ooo

"Those were the only prints inside of the car?" Stetler asked. Eric nodded. "No sign anything was wiped down?"

"No. There is a remote possibility that someone could have been in the car wearing gloves but then some of the prints I found on the steering wheel should have been smudged over and they weren't," Eric said.

"So we're looking at one of these two," Stetler said. Eric reluctantly agreed. "Then we bring them in. Let's go for Gus first. How much do we know about him?"

"Not much. I'll do some background. By the way, where's Wolfe?"

"Helping Detective Tripp rewrite the warrant for the surveillance video. The original warrant was specific to videotapes but the company backs up all their old surveillance video onto a computer hard drive then reuses the original tapes. They wouldn't turn over the hard drive so we have to rewrite the warrant," Stetler said with mild frustration.

"Any idea how long it will take?" Eric asked.

Stetler shook his head. "Hopefully we'll have them by morning. The company wasn't opposed to turning over the video but they sited security reasons for not wanting to volunteer the computer's hard drive."

Eric sighed. "I'll see what I can find on this guy. When do you want to bring him in?"

"I'll call him now. We should play this carefully, with both of them. Whichever one of them did this; we don't want to let on that we suspect either one. As far as they are concerned we are just looking for some more information."

ooo

Rick Stetler sat in the interrogation room across from Gus. Eric sat to his right and Ryan stood back in the corner observing. They were all playing roles in a game they'd worked out in advance.

"So, Mr. Metzger, what can you tell me about the night your car was stolen?" Rick asked. He was starting out slowly trying to catch any inconsistencies in Gus' story.

Gus took a breath, obviously trying to organize his thoughts. "It was a while ago but my routine is pretty consistent on days that I work. That wasn't a night when I was opening so I got to the club around eight. I parked my car, went inside, grabbed my things out of my locker in the back, then started serving drinks."

"You didn't leave the club for any reason that evening, a break, dinner, anything like that?" Stetler asked.

"I don't recall leaving the club. If I had, I probably would have noticed my car was gone. There is nothing around that area except warehouses. If I was going to go anywhere I would have needed my car."

Rick nodded and decided to switch gears. "How long have you been in Miami?" he asked.

"About a year."

"Where did you live before?" Rick asked.

"Virginia. Ever since I was discharged from the Marines," Gus answered.

"What made you decide to head south?" Eric asked.

"I wanted a change. There were too many things there to remind me of what happened during the war."

"You served during the Gulf War, didn't you?" Rick asked.

"Yes," Gus answered. Then his demeanor changed slightly and he said, "Until I was wounded." He pulled back the hair at the side of his head to reveal a large scar. "I was in a coma for almost a month. It ended my military career."

The quick background check that Eric had done only showed a discharge not that he'd been wounded. That information took all of them by surprise. Rick decided to change the subject again until they could gather some more information.

"How did you end up working at Club Descent?" Rick asked.

"Ad in the paper. One of the bartenders took a leave and they needed a temporary replacement. Turned out he was the fella who was killed."

"So the job became permanent," Eric said.

Gus nodded. "I liked working there. Max and the others are great. When he asked me if I wanted to stay on, I said yes."

"How well do you know Max?" Eric asked.

"Well enough, I guess."

"What kind of person do you think he is?"

"Nice guy," Gus answered. "Bit of a temper sometimes, but a nice guy for the most part. He was a fellow Marine, a gunnery sergeant."

"He's a big guy," Stetler said. "He can be a bit intimidating, I imagine."

"Just don't get on his bad side," Gus said with a slight smirk. "I've seen him pick up full grown men and toss them out the door of the club for being disruptive."

Rick and Eric exchanged a glance and again Rick changed the subject. "Did you ever let anyone else drive your car?"

Gus was caught off guard for a moment and the sudden shift in the conversation. "Um, no, I didn't. Had a problem a while back with my insurance. No one but me drove that car. Why?"

Rick shrugged. "No reason really. Just curious."

"Did you know the man who called himself Simon Cole?" Eric asked.

Gus looked down for a moment then said, "No. I only know what I was told by Max and Tim and some of the others." Then Gus looked at his watch. "Do you need anything else from me? I'm supposed to open up this afternoon."

"No, I think that will be all for now," Rick said.

"One second," Ryan interrupted, speaking up for the first time. The others had almost forgotten he was there. "Just one more question, if you don't mind." Gus nodded. "Do you have any hobbies?"

"Hobbies?" Gus asked looking a bit puzzled. "Um, I like to take pictures. I guess that's a hobby."

"What about collecting? Do you collect anything?" Ryan asked.

Gus shook his head. "No. Wouldn't have anywhere to put stuff. My place is small and already cramped." He looked back at Rick. "Can I go now?" Rick nodded and Gus stood up to leave. Then he stopped for a moment and turned back to the others. "If you're looking for a collector, talk to Max. His house looks like the Antiques Road Show," he added with a chuckle.

Once the door shut Rick looked over at the other two men. "I think it's time we talked to Max."

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

Title: Club Descent: Accused (9/11)

Author: Aeon Cole

Beta: sharpiesgal/Dino

Rating: FRAO

Warning: Slash

Fandom: CSI: Miami

Pairing: Horatio/Speed

Spoilers: None

Challenge: 50 Dark Fics

Prompt: #36 Never

Word Count: 1790

Summary: A discovery in a quarry lake brings back some old memories and puts Max in a tight spot.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

"Ok, no problem," Tim said then snapped his phone shut. "Max has to go down to the police station for an interview. They want to talk to him about Simon. He said we should give him a call later. He's not working tonight."

"Hmm," Horatio hummed.

Tim saw something in Horatio's expression that worried him. "You think something's wrong?" he asked.

Horatio shook his head. "No, I doubt it. I just thought Eric and Wolfe were going to go to the club last night to talk with him." Horatio took a sip of his coffee and leaned back in his chair. "I feel like I'm out of the loop on this. Maybe I should stop by the lab…"

"Nope," Tim interrupted him. "No way. You're mine for the rest of the week. That was the deal. Besides, we have a house to pack up."

Horatio ducked his head and smiled. "Sorry," he said. "I did promise not to do that, didn't I?"

"Several times, actually," Tim replied with a smirk. Horatio looked sheepish. "If you're not careful something like that could lead to another fight," he joked.

"Ah, but that could lead to more making up," Horatio countered.

They both laughed and Tim stood up. He held out his hand. "We should get going," he said.

ooo

"I don't like where this is leading," Eric said.

"Yeah, well, just remember. It's leading where ever the evidence takes us," Rick reminded him.

"I just can't believe Max could have done this. It just doesn't feel right," Eric insisted.

"You sound like Horatio," Rick retorted with a sideways glance at Eric.

"He certainly had motive," Ryan interrupted before Eric could respond.

Eric sighed. "A lot of people had motive. Horatio had motive."

"Yeah, but we didn't find Horatio's fingerprints inside that car," Rick countered.

Eric was having a lot of trouble believing what the evidence was telling him. He couldn't come to terms with the idea that someone who Horatio had become close friends with would be capable of this level of violence and Horatio would be totally unaware. He blew out a breath.

"I need a break," he said and walked out of the room.

He walked aimlessly for a few minutes until he found himself standing outside of the ballistics lab. He pushed the door open and flopped down on one of the stools. Calleigh took one look at him and walked over.

"What's wrong, Eric?" she asked laying a hand on his shoulder.

"I don't know if I can do this, Cal. Working with Stetler. He's convinced that Max is the killer. I think Wolfe is too."

Calleigh wrinkled her brow. "How strong is the evidence?"

Eric sighed. "Pretty strong. But it doesn't feel right. There's something about this Gus guy that I don't like."

"You sound like Horatio," she said.

Eric smirked. "That's what Stetler said. I think it bugged him a little."

"Well, that's never a bad thing," Calleigh said with a chuckle. Then, more seriously, she asked, "Has Max given his statement yet?"

"Not yet. He should be here in a little while," Eric replied.

"Then go back there and make sure Stetler doesn't railroad him," she said. Then she looked around quickly and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I have faith in you, Eric. If you think Max is innocent, you'll prove it."

Eric could feel the slight blush creeping up his neck. "Thanks, Cal."

ooo

Rick Stetler wasn't a small man but standing next to the hulking form of Max Tanner he felt short and just slightly out manned. He led Max into the interrogation room where Eric and Ryan were waiting. Max remembered Stetler from the night Tim was kidnapped and he remembered Horatio's reaction to him. That memory made him cautious of the man. He was glad to see Eric in the room when he got there.

Eric and Ryan had swapped places in the interrogation this time with Ryan taking the lead. They had planned out a basic strategy given the information Gus had given them.

"Max, there are a few things we'd like to clarify with you," Ryan said.

Max nodded. "Whatever ya need. Just ask," he said.

Ryan smiled. "Thanks. First off, I'd like to talk about Samuel Conner. You knew him as Simon Cole. When did you first meet him?"

"It was about four years ago. Tim brought him into the club one night."

"What was your impression of him then?" Rick asked.

"He seemed nice enough and Tim was completely taken by'm."

"But?" Rick prompted.

"There was somethin' about'm that I don't think I could put my finger on at the time. Made the hair at the back of my neck stand up." Then he smirked and added, "Figuratively of course," running a hand over his bald head. "Somethin' in his eyes."

"Then things changed?" Ryan asked.

Max thought for a moment remembering how his friend's whole personality seemed to shift. "Over a period of time, yes. Tim didn't come around the club as much as he used to. He always said that Simon didn't like to go out much. I sometimes wouldn't see him for a couple of weeks then when I did he seemed different. Quiet and more withdrawn mostly. After about a year was when I started noticing the bruises. He always had an excuse for them."

"Did you suspect what was happening?"

"Yeah, but when I tried to ask'm about it he blew it off then stopped coming around the club all together."

"That's not unusual for abuse victims," Rick interrupted. "They tend to cut ties with friends and family rather than have to deal with the questions."

"I really had no idea the extent of things until Horatio came along. I suspect there's still a lot I don't know."

"But you were able to remain friends with Dr. Speedle despite everything," Ryan asked.

"Simon was a prick and I was determined that Tim would see that someday," Max said.

"So you're not sorry to see him dead," Ryan asked.

"I don't know anyone who's sorry to see him gone."

"Do you have any idea who might have actually killed him?" Rick asked.

Max smirked. "No, but I'd like t'shake the guy's hand," he said.

Ryan decided it was time to shift the conversation to the real reason they'd called Max in. "How about Gus? How well do you know him?"

Max cocked his head to one side. "Well enough. He showed up at just the right time six months ago lookin' fer a job. Theo had just left t'go visit his family and we needed a temporary replacement. He agreed t'stay on after we found out what happened ta Theo."

"Can you tell me what happened the night his car was taken from the club's parking lot?" Ryan asked.

"Like I told ya last night, it was a long time ago. Just seemed like any other night, 'til we left anyway."

"Was it unusual for Gus not to leave the club on his break?" Eric asked from the back of the room.

Max shrugged. "A little. When he first started he went out every day but later on he didn't do it as often."

"Do you know if Gus ever let anyone else drive his car?" Ryan asked.

"Don't know about anyone else but I drove it once," Max said. "The day before it was stolen actually."

Ryan and Stetler exchanged a glance. "He let you drive it? What for?"

"We were running low on this one particular brand of scotch. The supplier was out which isn't all that unusual. The owner sent me to one of the local liquor stores that caries it to buy a case. I'd driven my bike that night so Gus volunteered his car."

"Really?" Ryan said.

"Yeah. The only thing he said was that the case had to go in the trunk. Somethin' about not wanting to mark up the seats."

Rick sat back in his chair for a moment then glanced at Ryan before turning back to Max. "Ok. Thanks for coming down, Max."

"No problem. If ya need anything else, just call," Max said before he got up.

"I'll walk you out," Ryan said.

Rick turned to Eric once the others were gone and said, "One of them is lying."

"I vote for Gus," Eric said.

Rick rolled his eyes. "We all know how you feel about this, Eric."

Eric shook his head. "Gus' story was very straight forward and he seemed to remember everything about that day clearly. It sounded… I don't know, too easy," Eric said. "Max is much more believable. His story is too convoluted to be faked. I mean, think about it."

Rick said, "Well, we can't take a gut feeling to the DA. And all of the physical evidence puts Max in the car. He had motive and opportunity. Gus is new in town and doesn't even know the victim. He doesn't have motive…"

"That we know of," Eric interrupted.

Rick ignored his interruption and continued. "We have enough to hold Max on this." Then he held up a hand at Eric's obvious attempt to protest. "But we're not going to do that right now. I tend to agree with you. Something still doesn't feel right."

"You didn't ask him about the fabric," Eric mentioned.

"Wolfe is doing that right now. We thought it would be better if he brought it up casually outside of the interview," Rick said with a shrug. "You know, just two guys talking about a common hobby." He turned to Ryan as he walked back into the room. "What did he say about the collecting?" he asked.

"He collects war memorabilia. And he has some of that fabric," Ryan answered.

Rick shook his head. It wasn't looking good for Horatio's friend. "What's the status of the warrant for the video surveillance?" he asked.

Ryan looked at his watch. "We should have the computer hard drive by morning at this point."

"Ok. Let's reserve any judgment until after we look at those videos," Rick said. "But I'm going to put a car on each of them until we get this figured out." Then he turned to Eric. "See what else you can find out about Gus. If you really think Max didn't do this, prove it to me."

Eric looked at his watch. It was late and he'd been at the lab since early that morning. He knew his mind wasn't at its sharpest. He figured it would be better to go home and get some rest then come back and tackle this problem early tomorrow morning. He headed back down to the ballistics lab before he headed out.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

Title: Club Descent: Accused (10/11)

Author: Aeon Cole

Beta: sharpiesgal/Dino

Rating: FRAO

Warning: Slash

Fandom: CSI: Miami

Pairing: Horatio/Speed

Spoilers: None

Challenge: 50 Dark Fics

Prompt: #45 Lust

Word Count: 2040

Summary: A discovery in a quarry lake brings back some old memories and puts Max in a tight spot.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

The first thing Horatio had notice upon arriving at Max and Michael's house was the car parked across the street. He knew a stakeout when he saw one. It bothered him that Stetler had put a car on Max. He knew he wouldn't have wasted those resources if he didn't think it was necessary, if there wasn't some kind of evidence to suggest that there was a need for a car on him. He'd debated with himself all evening whether to say something or not but he had to consider the possibility that he might jeopardize the investigation. It had him pretty distracted all through dinner wondering just what it was that Stetler had on his friend.

Tim had told Max about the new house and Max had offered to help with the move. He offered his pickup truck anytime they needed it. Everything seemed normal to Horatio. Max seemed like Max. He wasn't nervous or upset about anything. He desperately wanted to ask him about the interview, but he had promised Tim that he wouldn't talk shop and he intended to keep his promise. He had hoped that Max would say something or that Tim would ask Max about what had happened that afternoon at PD but he didn't. They were completely focused on the new house and the move.

In the end he chose to not ask any questions. He would try to figure out what he could later. He could log into the lab's computer from home and take a look at the files. By the time they pulled into their driveway, he'd decided to put it out of his mind for the time being. Tim was too excited about the upcoming move and he wasn't going to dampen his mood with talk of work.

It was dark by the time they arrived back home and Horatio hadn't left the lights on. He was surprised to find that Tim simply walked into the house, turned on the lights and went into the kitchen without his usual routine. Horatio just stood there for a moment. Tim went to the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of juice then poured himself a glass. When he turned he saw Horatio still standing by the door.

"What?" he asked, seeing the look he was getting.

Horatio smiled at him and joined him in the kitchen. He pulled him into his arms and said, "It's nothing." Then he gave him a kiss.

It was then that Tim seemed to realize what it was that had taken Horatio by surprise. "Oh," he said. "You know, it didn't even occur to me to check the house." He was a bit surprised himself.

"That's good," Horatio said with a smile. "You felt safe enough to just walk in here." Horatio pulled him closer, flush against his own body.

Staring into Horatio's eyes it still surprised Tim that after a whole year together his body would respond so quickly to the close contact. His reaction didn't go unnoticed by the redhead either. Horatio leaned in and took Tim's mouth for a kiss that started off slow and gentle but quickly grew until both men were dizzy from lack of air.

Horatio pulled away first resting his forehead on Tim's shoulder while he got his breath back. After a moment he said in a low, gravelly voice, "Unless you want me to take you right here on the kitchen counter, we should move this somewhere more comfortable."

Tim smirked. "Kitchen sex does have its appeal," he joked.

Horatio chuckled and took his hand, leading him up to the bedroom. Once there he pulled Tim's shirt up over his head then pushed him back onto the bed. He pulled his own shirt off then climbed onto the mattress and settled in between Tim's legs. He stared down at him for a moment before Tim held out his arms to him. With a gentle smile Horatio leaned forward, resting the bulk of his weight on his elbows, and began laying a trail of kisses along Tim's jaw. He worked his way back to the spot just behind Tim's left ear where he lingered for a few moments suckling gently.

Tim moaned softly and arched his hips up under Horatio's weight. Horatio moved slightly giving Tim the friction he was seeking. He moaned again. Horatio raised himself up on his hands and knees and began working his was down Tim's neck, kissing and nibbling as he went. When he reached his chest he pulled one flat nipple into his mouth, sucking gently, raising it to a hard nub. He moved to the other side and did the same.

Tim whimpered with every move Horatio made on his body. "God, Horatio… feels so good," he breathed.

He felt Horatio smile into his skin as he worked his way lower. Horatio stopped when he reached the waistband of his jeans. He sat back on his heels and looked down at the flushed body beneath him. Tim was staring back wantonly, eyes hooded, mouth slightly open. Horatio thought he could come just from that look. He took a deep breath bringing himself back under control. He wasn't finished yet.

Horatio slowly ran his hands up the insides of Tim's thighs and over the pronounced bulge in his jeans. Tim let out a soft moan and arched into Horatio's touch. Horatio leaned forward and placed a kiss on his stomach just above his jeans then he slowly, teasingly opened them. He slipped his fingers into the waistband of Tim's boxers and pulled them and his jeans down and off tossing them to the side. Then he settled back in between his legs.

Tim's breath caught in his throat when Horatio ran a hand gently over his now bare and aching cock. Horatio's touch was so light that he had Tim writhing on the bed. Tim didn't think he could take much more then Horatio closed his mouth around him and slowly drew him in. Tim groaned deep in his throat and fisted the sheets as Horatio worked him with his tongue and teeth. He was breathing heavily and completely lost in sensation as Horatio hummed around him. Tim cried out coming hard and bucking his hips.

He fell back onto the bed completely spent and gasping for air. Horatio sat back and let him catch his breath before leaning in and taking his mouth in a slow kiss. When he pulled back Tim smiled at him.

"Wow," was all he could say.

Horatio kissed him again and said, "Not done yet."

He reached over to the nightstand and pulled out the lube then he hopped off the bed and stripped out of his remaining clothes. Positioning himself back on the bed between Tim's legs, he slicked up his fingers and carefully inserted one then two into Tim's body and began stretching. It wasn't long before Tim found himself getting hard again from Horatio's teasing.

Horatio was taking his time stretching and preparing him. But Tim was getting impatient. "Horatio… please," he breathed. Horatio answered him by curling his fingers and brushing over his prostate. Tim gasped and arched up. "Enough teasing… please… need you."

Horatio removed his fingers and slicked up his cock. He lifted Tim's legs and slowly pushed in. He groaned at the feel of Tim's tight hole surrounding him. "So good," he breathed.

Once he was completely buried Horatio stilled needing to bring himself into control, not wanting things to end too soon. He leaned down and captured Tim's mouth with his own as he slowly began to move. It wasn't long before he had to break the kiss, his need to breathe taking over, as his movements sped up. He raised himself up and took one of Tim's hands placing it on his cock. Tim wrapped his fingers around his own shaft and started pumping along with Horatio's thrusts.

Seeing Tim touch himself was Horatio's undoing. He buried himself one last time coming with a soft groan. Tim followed when he felt Horatio's seed fill him. Horatio collapsed forward resting his full weight on Tim. After a few moments he rolled to the side and pulled out then pulled Tim into his arms.

Tim was already beginning to drift off to sleep. "Love you," he murmured.

Horatio kissed his forehead. "Love you too," he said.

About half an hour later Tim was sound asleep but Horatio still lay awake. His mind had drifted back to Max and the case. He finally gave up on getting to sleep and rolled out of bed careful not to wake Tim. He pulled on his pants and went downstairs to the study. He booted up the computer and attempted to access the files on Simon's murder only to find his access was blocked. He realized that he should have figured that Stetler would have done that.

He looked at the clock on the wall. It was late, after midnight. He debated whether or not to make the phone call that he wanted to make. He pulled out his phone. It wouldn't be the first time he'd woken Eric up for the sake of a case. He dialed Eric's number and waited.

Eric rolled over in bed snuggling closer to the warm body next to him when he heard his phone buzzing on the nightstand. He groaned and rolled back grabbing his phone and looking at the caller ID. Seeing that it was Horatio he answered.

"Yeah, H," he said sleepily.

"Sorry to wake you Eric. I was, ah, I was wondering if I could talk to you about the case," Horatio said.

"Sure," Eric said quietly. "Just give me a moment."

Horatio heard a female voice in the background then he heard Eric say, "I'll be right back." He heard some movement then a door close before Eric got back on the line.

"Ok, H, what's up?" Eric asked.

"Sorry, Eric. I didn't realize you had company," Horatio said.

"It's ok. You didn't interrupt anything. We were sleeping," Eric replied with a slight chuckle. "What did you want to talk about?"

Horatio explained his concerns and what he'd seen at Max's house that evening. Eric ran down the evidence they had and his feelings on the case.

"You're suspicious of Gus?" Horatio asked.

"I can't really explain it, H. It's more of a feeling I got talking with him this afternoon. I'm going to do a more extensive background check on him in the morning when I get in. Right now there is no connection between him and Simon."

Horatio thought for a moment. "You said he was in the military. I'm going to email you my access codes for the military criminal database. You can access his full SRB that way. Hopefully it will help."

"Thanks, H. I really hope we find something there because otherwise everything points to Max."

"Hmm. Would you let me know what you find, Eric?"

"Yeah, no problem, H."

"Ok then," Horatio said. "You'd better get some sleep." He paused for a moment then smirked. "And tell Calleigh I'm sorry I woke her."

Eric's mouth fell open and he stared at the phone for a moment. How did Horatio know, he wondered. They'd been discrete. It had been almost six months and there was no indication that anyone had any idea. Calleigh's father didn't know yet. His family didn't know yet.

"How…" he started to ask. Then he decided better of it. "You know what, never mind."

"Just don't let Stetler find out," Horatio warned.

"Don't worry about that, H," Eric said as he walked back into the bedroom. "Night. I'll talk to you tomorrow." He tossed the phone back onto the nightstand and crawled back into bed.

"Everything all right," Calleigh mumbled.

Eric shook his head and chuckled. "Horatio knows," he said. Calleigh lifted her head and looked up at him. "About us, he knows."

Calleigh smirked. "Wouldn't surprise me if he's known all along," she said as she rolled onto her back. She pulled Eric down to her. "This is Horatio we're talking about after all." Eric chuckled and kissed her softly. Calleigh smiled. "Back to sleep, you. We have an early morning tomorrow."

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

Title: Club Descent: Accused (11/11)

Author: Aeon Cole

Beta: sharpiesgal/Dino

Rating: FRAO

Warning: Slash

Fandom: CSI: Miami

Pairing: Horatio/Speed

Spoilers: None

Challenge: 50 Dark Fics

Prompt: #25 Destiny

Word Count: 2540

Summary: A discovery in a quarry lake brings back some old memories and puts Max in a tight spot.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Wednesday, October 13, 2004

"This is weird," Eric said. "Gus' file doesn't say anything about being wounded in action. In fact, he never even made it overseas. I don't get it."

"Let me take a look," Calleigh said. She paged through Gus' military file until she got to his discharge. "He does have a medical discharge but I don't see a medical record with this."

Rick walked into the room just then. "That's because there isn't a military medical record." They both looked over at him. Rick held up a folder. "He was treated at a civilian hospital after a fight in a bar." He handed Eric the folder. "He was hit in the head with a baseball bat. Three guesses by who."

Eric looked at the page Rick had marked then handed the file over to Calleigh. "You've got to be kidding," she said. She went to the computer and pulled up the military record for Samuel Conner. "The dates match. Conner was discharged for putting a fellow Marine in the hospital after a fight. His record doesn't name that Marine because he didn't file charges."

"No," Rick said. "But the civilian police file does name Metzger's assailant."

"How did you manage to piece this all together?" Eric asked.

Rick raised an eyebrow. "I didn't go home last night," he said.

Eric glanced at Calleigh suddenly feeling a little guilty. "You stayed here all night?" he asked.

"The whole thing was still bothering me. I went back over the old files and ran across the military record that Calleigh found six months ago. It started me thinking. In particular, why wasn't the other party identified?"

"I wondered that too," Calleigh said. "But it wasn't relevant to the last investigation."

Rick explained what he'd found. "The fight took place in a civilian bar while both men were on leave. Conner had just returned from Iraq and Metzger had just finished basic training and was newly assigned to the unit. Conner was already a loose cannon. He'd been disciplined several times while overseas for violence toward other soldiers. He was on the verge of being dishonorably discharged. His final psych eval listed latent homosexuality as the cause of his violent behavior. Apparently Metzger propositioned him and that's what set him off."

"So we bring him in," Eric said hopefully.

"Yeah, well, that may be a problem," Rick said.

"Why? We know he had motive now," Eric insisted.

"Maybe, maybe not," Rick said cryptically. "According to the medical record he had no memory of the attack when he came out of the coma. Even after he was told what had happened he refused to believe it. He saw Conner as a war hero. That's why he never pressed charges."

"So none of this counts for anything?" Eric asked clearly frustrated by what Rick had just told them.

"We'd have to prove that he regained his memory of the attack and that he put two and two together to connect Conner with Simon Cole." Rick sighed. "And we have another problem. There's a report in the original file from last October written by one of the uniformed officers from the day Tim Speedle's apartment was broken into that says that Max threatened to kill Simon Cole on more than one occasion."

Eric's head fell. "Max didn't do this," he said quietly. Calleigh laid a hand on his arm. "But all the evidence says he did. This guy is good. He had to be planning this for a while to work out all of these details."

Just then Ryan came skidding into the room. "You guys have to see this," he said then darted out again. The other three exchanged a glance then followed Ryan back to the AV lab. He directed their attention to the monitor. "This is the video from the security camera outside the building across the street from the club the night Gus' car was allegedly stolen."

They all looked in his direction when he used the word allegedly. Ryan pointed at the monitor again. The camera had a good shot of the lot and the street in front of the club. Just at the edge of the camera's field of view was a bus stop. They watched as a city bus pulled up and a man got off then the bus pulled away. Ryan froze the picture and played with the controls until he had zoomed in on the man's face and brought the shot back into focus. There was no mistaking who it was.

Rick stared at the monitor for a moment before asking, "This is definitely the night he reported his car stolen?"

"According to the date stamp it is," Ryan answered. "His car wasn't taken from the club that night because it was never there."

"This whole thing has been an elaborate plan to kill the man who ended his military career," Eric said.

"But how did he find Conner," Rick asked. "It's been thirteen years. He changed his name and dropped off the radar ten years ago."

Eric had a sudden brainstorm. "A year ago, we put out a bolo. We plastered his likeness all over the news. Sent out posters all over the area, all with Simon's picture."

Rick's face lit up suddenly. "You're right. Didn't Gus say that he came to Miami about a year ago?" The others nodded. "Maybe he saw one of the flyers. It could have triggered his memory."

"We gotta bring him in," Eric said.

"We need a plan first," Rick said.

ooo

Tim was busy in the study packing his books into boxes. Horatio was supposed to be helping him but somehow he seemed to be doing most of the work himself. He turned to the redhead and saw him standing in one place staring at the wall.

"You ok, Horatio?" he asked.

"Huh," Horatio said as he turned toward Tim.

Tim put down the small pile of books he was holding and took a step toward Horatio. "Are you ok? You seem distracted."

Horatio was silent for a moment. He hadn't realized quite how distracted he'd become by his conversation with Eric the night before.

"Sorry," he said. "I, um…" He paused trying to decide how to tell Tim he'd gone back on his promise, not to mention what he'd found out about Max.

Tim reached out and took Horatio's hand. "What is it, Horatio?" he asked, his voice full of concern.

Horatio ducked his head. He spoke without meeting Tim's eyes. "I, um, I talked to Eric last night, after you were asleep." Tim raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry. I know I said I wasn't going think about work this week but when we were at Max's last night I saw something. I had to check it out."

"What did you see?"

"There was a car in front of Max's house. When I talked to Eric he confirmed that Stetler ordered a stakeout. They have some evidence to, um… to suggest Max may have been the one to kill Simon."

Tim stared in disbelief. "No," he whispered. "Max wouldn't do that."

"Eric doesn't think so either. He thinks he's being framed by someone else," Horatio said. "I'm waiting for him to call me back with more information."

Tim started pacing the room. He turned to face Horatio. "Why didn't you say something to Max last night?"

Horatio shook his head. "I didn't know why the car was there. It could have been protection. I could have been wrong altogether. I didn't know what was going on at the time."

Tim took a deep breath and nodded. "Ok," he said. "I have to call Max."

"No," Horatio interrupted. "You can't do that yet. Wait until Eric calls. We could jeopardize the investigation."

"I'm not a cop, Horatio, and Max is my friend," Tim said. "I need to talk to him."

Horatio was regretting having said anything. "Look, you could be putting him in danger if you say anything. Eric promised to call me this morning with more information. We need to wait."

"I can't just sit here and do nothing, Horatio," Tim insisted, the frustration was clear in his voice.

Horatio's cell phone rang causing them both to jump. Horatio quickly fished it out of his pocket. "Yeah," he said into the mouthpiece.

"We're bringing Max into protective custody," Eric said. "I don't have time to give you all the details but he should be here shortly."

"You found evidence?" Horatio asked.

"Yes, but I have to get going. He'll be here if you want to come down to the station."

"Thanks, Eric. We'll be there." He snapped his phone shut. "I don't know all of the details but they took Max into protective custody. They must think the guy who's trying to frame him may try to harm him. We can go see him."

Tim headed for the door then turned back to Horatio. "What are you waiting for?" he asked. As they walked out to the car he asked, "Do they know who it is?"

Horatio nodded. "Gus," he said. "I don't know anything else yet."

ooo

They arrived at the station and found Max and Michael waiting in one of the interrogation rooms. Horatio noticed that Max was sitting patiently while Michael was pacing the room looking more than a little put out. They walked in and Michael was the first to say anything.

"Horatio! Thank God. They won't tell us anything. What the hell is going on," he said all in one breath.

Horatio placed a hand on the other man's shoulder. "Relax, Michael," he said and saw Max smirk. "I'm going to try to find out what's going on right now."

Tim went straight to Max's side. "Are you ok?" he asked. Max just nodded. Tim sat in the chair next to him. He leaned in close and spoke quietly. "Horatio says Gus is the one who did this." Again Max nodded.

Tim rested his hand on his friend's arm. He knew Max would be upset by all of this. He'd begun to consider Gus a friend. He placed a lot of weight on his gut feeling about people and to find out he was so wrong about the man, about a fellow Marine, would affect him in ways Tim couldn't imagine.

There was knock at the door and a uniformed officer poked his head in. "Lieutenant Caine?" Horatio walked over to the door. "I was told to give this to you, sir," he said as he handed over a file.

"Thank you," Horatio responded and took the file.

He sat down at the table and started reading. Michael sat next to Max and put and arm around him. They sat in silence as Horatio familiarized himself with the information in the file.

ooo

Eric pulled the Hummer up behind the unmarked car in front of Gus' apartment building. He, Ryan and Stetler stepped out. The officers assigned to the stakeout walked up to them.

"He still in there?" Rick asked.

"Yes, sir," one of the officers answered.

Rick nodded. "Ok," he said then turned to the others. "Let's play this carefully. As far as we know he has no idea we know anything. We coax him out with the story we agreed on. Once he's out, we grab him."

"Right," Ryan said. "We tell him we have the killer in custody and we need him to come down to sign some papers for the release of his car."

They entered the building and took the stairs to the third floor. The plan was for Ryan to make the contact while the others stayed to the side out of sight until Gus stepped out of the apartment. However, as they approached his door they heard a loud pop, the unmistakable sound of a gunshot. All three men hit the deck and reached for their weapons. They remained frozen for several moments before Rick signaled for them to move in closer to the door.

He and Eric exchanged a glance. Then standing to the side of the door, Rick reached over with his gun and tapped at the door. "Miami Dade police," he yelled. "Open up."

No one answered. He repeated himself. When no one answered the second time he tried the doorknob only to find it unlocked. Cautiously they entered. In the main room they found the body of Gus Metzger, single gunshot wound to the head with the gun still in his hand. After clearing the rest of the apartment they started searching.

ooo

Horatio's cell phone rang. He answered it and listened for a moment then he said, "Thanks," before snapping it shut. He looked at the others. "Gus is dead. Suicide."

An hour later Eric walked into the interrogation room and pulled Horatio out. "Ryan and Calleigh are still going through Gus' apartment but we found years worth of newspaper clippings, letters to the military requesting information, and FOIA paperwork, all of it basically the same. He's been trying to find Conner for the better part of the past ten years."

"There were hundreds of newspaper clippings about bias crimes, assaults and crimes against gays all over the south. He had public records from a lot of them. He also had copies of the flyers we sent out last year with the sketch of Simon Cole. His showing up in Miami when he did was no accident. He even had a copy of the police report that was filed after Tim's assault last year. He'd been planning this for years, H."

Horatio took a deep breath trying to take in everything Eric was telling him. After a moment he glanced back into the room and said, "The important thing here, Eric, is that this is finally over."

ooo

Epilogue

Two weeks later.

Saturday, October 30, 2004

Horatio stretched and rolled over in bed as his mind slowly cleared from the best night's sleep he'd had in a long time. He reached out but encountered an empty space and cold sheets. He opened his eyes, momentarily disoriented. It took him a minute to realize where he was. He was still becoming used to the look and feel of the new house. He sat up in bed and looked around. He wasn't too concerned about Tim's absence.

He recognized the scent of coffee wafting up to the second floor and was fairly certain he knew where to find his missing spouse. He rolled out of bed and glanced at the clock. He'd slept much later than he'd planned. After grabbing a pair of sweat pants he headed out into the hallway and down the stairs. He had to sidestep a couple of boxes that they had yet to unpack to make his way to the kitchen. He poured himself a mug of coffee and walked out onto the back deck that overlooked the beach.

He walked to the edge of the deck and leaned up against the railing watching the lone figure sitting out on the sand by the water's edge. Horatio absently wondered how long he'd been sitting out there, but he soon realized that the fact that he was sitting out there was the important thing.

Fin


End file.
